Chapter 31
Conclave of Kashyyyk
Choice
"You are getting sloppy, Naruto," Kurama stated as he looked down upon Yoda with a calculating gaze, folding his arms across his chest. "Perhaps time with these Jedi has dulled your senses somewhat."
Naruto looked over at his one-time prisoner with a piercing glare, before looking back down at the diminutive figure of the Grand Jedi Master, "I was only expecting him to brush against my mind to see if I was lying. I did not expect him to dive in so deep that he would be pulled in."
"Hmm, like I said: you are getting sloppy," The crimson-haired man replied with mischief in his equally crimson eyes before returning his attention to the intruder, "So tell me, old creature: why go to such lengths to read through my host's mind, especially when he was willing to cooperate?"
"See the Sith, I did not, when right under my nose, they were," Yoda responded, leaning heavily on his gimmer stick as he returned Kurama's studying gaze, "Be unprepared again, I will not."
"Wise, indeed," Kurama replied after a moment's thought, turning his attention from Yoda back to Naruto, "Let this be a lesson for you, brat: never be so trusting in front of those you have never met, despite what you hear. I thought your time after the destruction of your home would have taught you that."
Naruto's eyes narrowed upon Kurama's remark, but he did not rise to the bait and remained silent. The Kyuubi no Yoko shrugged the shoulders of his human form before speaking, "Well, the jig is up, as they say. I can see that there are questions you wish to ask of me, old creature, but be warned: I will impart only what information I believe you need…no more."
Yoda nodded, tapping his gimmer stick against the tiled ground, "Who are you?"
Kurama laughed lightly, "A predictable question, but one which is unavoidable. Very well, then, my name is Kurama, and I am a creature beyond the understanding of you mortals. The people of the brat's home world knew me as the Kyuubi no Yoko, or Nine Tailed Demon Fox. My name, my true name bestowed upon me by the most powerful being in history, is Kurama."
Yoda hummed in thought as he continued to study the man…no, the creature…before him, "Your goal, I wish to know."
Once again Kurama laughed, this time with more force, "Goal? I have no goal. It is my host here who has a goal. I am simply following him on his quest, as he is my Jinchūriki. I have no choice but to follow him for our mutual survival."
The small Master's eyes narrowed, "Jinchūriki?"
"It is a name given to those who have one of us, a Bijuu, sealed inside of them. In their ancient language, Jinchūriki is translated as 'Power of the Human Sacrifice' I believe. When Naruto was born, his father sealed me inside of him, hence making him…a Jinchūriki," Kurama replied, eyeing his host and smirking when he noticed him tense.
Naruto narrowed his eyes further, "I don't like that label."
Kurama shrugged, "We each have to live with the labels and titles bestowed upon us, brat. Honestly, I prefer that you mortals know me as the Kyuubi no Yoko. Only those I consider worthy may call me by my given name."
"Have a goal, you may not…but a purpose, you must," Yoda interrupted.
"You are getting bold, little one," Kurama smirked, before turning around and making his way up the stone steps towards his throne, "I have no goal, nor do I have a purpose here other than to aid the brat. I am simply an impotent colossus along for the ride, but allow me to give you some friendly advice: heed my host's warnings and his wisdom, for although he is young and stubborn to the point of idiocy at times, he has been through what you have."
He had ascended the steps by now and was once again sitting on his throne, looking down upon Naruto and Yoda. The blond glared right at the red-armoured man known as Kurama, lacking even the slightest hint of intimidation as he blew out a breath and smiled dryly, "Stubborn…to the point of idiocy? I'm not taking that bullshit from you; it's like a kettle and pot scenario."
Kurama gave no outward sign of hearing Naruto for several long heartbeats, before sighing, "I suppose you're right, there."
"Given an answer, you still have not."
"I suppose I haven't, have I?" Kurama asked as he leaned forward, placing his hand against his chin as he smirked, "Do you truly wish to know what I am, little one?"
Yoda hesitated for a moment, before nodding.
Kurama chuckled, "It is rare that I encounter such an inquisitive mind as yours. Very well, then – I shall indulge your curiosity, if for no other reason that I find myself taking a bit of a liking to you, ancient one."
He was gone, in the blink of an eye he had vanished from his throne, leaving nothing. Yoda's eyes widened slightly, but his surprise was short lived when he once again felt the eldritch creature's presence, right behind him. He turned around, seeing Kurama's form in the very centre of the chamber.
"He is such a show off," Naruto murmured with a sigh as he turned around. He then looked around, as if studying the size of the chamber. "Yeah, I'd say this was just about big enough."
"Big enough…say you?" Yoda asked with a raised brow.
Then he felt it, beginning so subtly that it was almost unnoticeable, but it strengthened, and once again Yoda felt the pressure on his shoulders. Kurama's body began to morph and shift, growing bigger, armour buckled and broke, falling away, mouth elongated, teeth became jagged, eyes became feral, crimson fur grew over skin. Yoda could only watch as he grew, doubling, tripling, quadrupling until it towered over them as if they were ants before a giant. Nine tails exploded forth, flailing in the air behind the creature as it looked down upon them.
The creature, Kurama, stood before them in all of its glory and power. Yoda felt this creature's raw strength through the force, stronger than anything he had ever felt in his long life. He had lived for almost a millennium, had visited innumerable worlds and had seen countless wonders, but this creature dwarfed anything he had ever encountered, or even heard of, before. It was a wellspring of emotion and power in the force…no, a wellspring didn't seem appropriate…a torrent, a tidal wave would perhaps be a better word to describe the power he felt, the energy.
"Master Yoda," Naruto said as he stood by the diminutive Grand Master's side, "This is the true form of Kurama, the Kyuubi no Yoko."
"Hmm, so long I have lived... yet this, I have never seen." Yoda said in a tone of quiet astonishment and disbelief.
Kurama spoke, voice echoing with power. "Words alone are not enough. To understand who we are, where we come from, you must be able to see."
Naruto frowned, "Allowing him access to my mind. Weren't you the one who said I shouldn't be so trusting?"
"The time calls for it," Kurama replied, voice resonating with raw energy as it echoed through the chamber. "You already made the decision on whose side you will choose, Naruto; it is time to put your trust in that side."
There was a moment of resigned silence before Naruto allowed a heavy sigh to escape his lips, "I suppose you're right."
The blond held up a hand and snapped his fingers. The chamber vanished, being replaced by a black void, only he, Yoda and Kurama remained. There was an eerie silence, and then an explosion of images seemed to fill up the void, replacing the darkness with images of multicoloured light. Each window showed a different memory, a different time, a different place, a different emotion, a different face. These windows were Naruto's life.
"Within these windows are the memories of my life," Naruto explained, as he stood beside Yoda and with a sweep of his hand the images became a dome of light and life surrounding them. "As a show of trust I bear my soul to you. I show you my life, the history of my people, all of my decisions, right and wrong."
He was not wrong, a mass of emotions and memories were bared before the Grand Master, memories which filled him with pride and joy, as well as memories which filled him with desperation and despair. He saw faces, both enemies and friends, human and otherwise. He saw nations, countries, armies and a great war.
Yoda looked to Naruto, silently asking one last time for permission to sift through the reservoir of memories, and received a nod in return. The intention was clear in the blond's eyes. He had permission, but only for those memories he needed to see, and he was not to delve too deep into what Naruto considered personal.
Yoda reached out with a three digit claw, touching the shimmering light of a memory and allowing the contents within the wash over him like a flood, a flood of information. Yoda flinched at the power, retracting his hand for a brief moment before taking a breath and plunging his hand back in. The memories returned, stronger, yet he persevered and shifted through them, finding an order and allowing it to flow into his mind.
He saw a woman, a beautiful human woman with flowing red hair giving birth to a small child, a child he knew to be Naruto. He found a name as he looked through his memories, Kushina Uzumaki.
That same woman, weak and tired, held captive by a man in black, an orange swirling mask covering his face. He used a ritual, subduing Kushina with ethereal chains, forcing some creature from her body. Kurama was released. Yoda saw it, Naruto was not the first one into whom this huge creature had been sealed away.
The moment he was released, he was placed under a spell, hypnotism, a Genjutsu. His control over himself relinquished, his anger redirected and controlled. The masked man, Madara, set him loose upon an unsuspecting warrior city.
Kurama wreaked havoc, destroying buildings, ending lives, only one man stood before him, a man who looked so similar to Naruto it could only be his father, Minato Namikaze, the leader of the village and its most powerful Shinobi.
Minato, in battle with Madara, defeating him and taking away his control of Kurama. It did not stop his desire for revenge, so much anger and hatred that it could not be controlled. Madara fled, becoming an incoherent mass of colour before vanishing completely.
Minato and Kushina were before Kurama, sacrificing their own lives to reseal him within an infant Naruto. Through it all Yoda felt their despair and desperation, feeling no other choice, but also he felt their faith in him, and their love for their child.
He saw a child, growing up alone, orphaned, ignored and scorned. Through it he felt the stirrings of a beginning. The child gained an indomitable will, a fierce determination to prove himself and earn the trust and respect of those around him. He saw many hardships and troubles, but also an unbending will, strengthened by the help of a few.
He saw the boy graduate the Konoha Shinobi Academy, though through unorthodox means. He was placed on a team with a boy with black hair who oozed pain, anger and the wish to seek revenge, and a girl with strange pink hair. He saw their time together, the friendships and bonds formed. He saw other children their age, of the same class who graduated together.
He saw the silhouette of a man, long dark hair, Sith-like yellow eyes and a snake coiled around him. He saw him and his agents tempt Naruto's black haired teammate to gain the power he needed.
He saw eleven men, garbed in black cloaks with red clouds, standing before a rising sun. Each one of them were some of the most powerful he had ever sensed in his long life, all on the level of the strongest of Jedi Masters, maybe a few well above that.
He saw nine figures, men and women standing in the shadows of nine great beasts of power. He saw Kurama as one of those shadows, but one by one the figures vanished, and their sealed beasts along with them. He then saw a statue, nine eyes alight with the power of the Biju, and seven bodies scattered at its feet. These were people like Naruto, sought after, hunted down and killed for what they were forced to possess.
He saw Naruto, facing off against a being of unparalleled power, fighting with all his might and will to no avail. Yoda saw a girl rush to his defence, fight for him and solidly defeated. He recognised her as an older Hinata Hyuga. He saw her defeated, apparently killed before his eyes, and he watched as Naruto nearly lost his will, allowing Kurama and his anger to destroy to subvert his own control.
He saw Naruto in the confines of his mind, lost and without hope, willed on by Kurama's whispers and about to give in. A hand stopped him, and Yoda looked on to see his father, long dead, stop him from making a monumental mistake. He saw their reunion, and felt warmth in his heart as his father gave him his hope and faith in him. He restarted the spark within Naruto, and he went on to defeat his enemy and save the village.
War was brewing, he was sent to an ancient sanctuary, united with the last of his kind and prepared for the battle to come. He chose to face Kurama and defeat him. He did not have the power, and was about to fall forever. Another spirit, his mother, rescued him from his losing battle, and Yoda saw another heartfelt reunion, and her aide in defeating Kurama.
He saw a war, a war which cost tens of thousands of lives. He saw Naruto and a huge man, a fellow Jinchūriki, alongside the elite of their kind facing off against Madara and an army of resurrected Ninja enslaved to his will, as well as an even larger mass of cloned soldiers created for the sole purpose of evening the numbers.
He saw victory, the dead buried and life continuing on, but he also saw the enemy survive, fade into the shadows, gather a new organisation and prepare for the fight. At the same time he saw Naruto settle into life, find love in the girl who helped him against Pein, and attempting to juggle a normal life with the reputation he gained from the war.
Death, despair, his friends falling around him, his village in flames, burning to the ground and the laughter of those who committed these atrocities, an organisation of savages and murderers worse than those from before. His loved ones died, he saw the pink haired girl, Sakura, lying on the ground and Hinata, dying in Naruto's arms as he cried.
There was an overwhelming sense of anger, hatred, revenge, an indomitable need for revenge. He saw Naruto travel the length and breadth of the Elemental nations, learning, preparing and moving forward with the will to strengthen and destroy those who took everything from him. He spent years preparing, years training and strengthening and finally he was strong enough. He saw that Naruto had put everything else aside in his singular focus to hunt and end those responsible for all of the death, despair and suffering to which he had borne witness…even the possible love of a beautiful red-haired, green-eyed woman did not sate his thirst for revenge, Naruto relentlessly hunted those responsible, taking them out one by one until only two remained, Madara and his former teammate, Sasuke.
They baited him into a trap, there was a fight and he was trapped alongside Sasuke. He learned of the trap from Madara before he escaped, and the explosion that followed which burned away whatever memory he had between then and delved and probed with greater effort,but the missing memories between Madara's trap and his arrival into the greater galaxy remained just that - missing.
He saw light, a blade of sapphire light slicing through the darkness and the familiar figure of a woman come through. Yoda noticed that his first thoughts were of her beauty. He compared her to an angel even when he fought against her. He saw the interaction between Naruto and Aayla, how she helped him understand and adjust to his situation, how he saved her life when Order 66 was unleashed and aided her in kind.
He saw him train her in his people's ways, yet was mindful not to attempt to convert her to his beliefs. He saw their friendship grow, strong bonds form which strengthened the longer they were together. He saw their escape from Felucia, their meeting with the crew of the Uhumeleand adventures, their capture by Vader, the fight which followed and their meeting with a four-millennia-old Jedi possessed by a Sith spirit.
He delved further, seeing what happened beyond, and his eyes widened and narrowed as the story continued. He attempted to delve further, but found it difficult. Naruto was attempting to stop him from continuing on. The memories from this moment onward were memories he was not willing to share with the Grand Master, but Yoda was not the highest and most powerful authority of the Jedi Order for nothing.
He saw but a glimpse, but it was all he needed to see.
"You're getting a little too bold, Master," Naruto said in warning.
"Broken the Jedi Code, she has," Yoda whispered, "Knight Secura has fallen…fallen to her emotions."
Naruto's eyes widened at his statement, before narrowing, pulled between a sudden tight fear and a wish to shout his outrage at the Jedi before him for stumbling across that particular set of memories. He finally sighed in defeat, slouching as if he had suddenly become boneless, "I beg of you, do not blame Aayla for this. Although she has said otherwise I know that her greatest source of strength and pride is in her being a Jedi. To lose that, even now, would hurt her more than almost anything else."
Yoda studied Naruto for a long moment before sighing, "Speak of this more at a later date, we shall. More pressing issues, there are."
Naruto looked over at Yoda for a long moment, the mass of memories surrounding them dissipating once again leaving only Yoda, Naruto and the huge hulking form of Kurama in the background. Yoda sighed as he psychically called his gimmer stick to him and began walking towards Naruto, "Such trust you have shown me, Naruto Uzumaki, so equal trust, I will show you."
Naruto looked at Yoda for a long moment before sighing and nodding his head. He backed away, leaning against a non-existent wall and closing his eyes. He had thought that he had strengthened his mental defences enough to stop the old Master from seeing anything he didn't want him to see, but he had apparently miscalculated.
'Oldest, wisest and most powerful of the Jedi indeed,' Naruto mused, managing a melancholy smile. He should have expected a Master of Yoda's ability and strength to be able to break through his mental defences with ease, but he had underestimated his opponent, grossly underestimated him. He knew what would follow, and he feared in his being that Aayla may never forgive him for this.
"I'm sorry, Aayla," He murmured sadly, meaning every word as he knew of the steps ahead. Aayla was right; maybe the Code was too engrained in the Jedi to be able to defeat it. Such were Naruto's thoughts as he allowed reality to pull both him and Yoda from the universe of his mind.
Naruto opened his eyes, looking around and immediately feeling the tense atmosphere in the air of the chamber. It appeared that each member of the Jedi High Council was as wound and tight as a spring, ready to move at a moment's notice to defend the Grand Master against any threat he may become.
He looked down to see Yoda studying him for a brief moment, humming to himself in solemn thought as he turned to his fellow Jedi. The highest ranking member of the Order took a few steps forward, his wizened old gaze sweeping from one end of the chamber to the other, bringing each member of the new high council into his sight before he closed his eyes and bowed, "Tells the truth, this one does. Trust him, we can."
The edge in the air seemed to wane upon the Grand Master's sentence, and one by one the Jedi seemed to relax ever so slightly, they were still ready for anything, though. Naruto nodded to Yoda as he stood up and looked upon the council, clasping his hands behind his back before looking back down at the diminutive Jedi before him.
"Permission to speak, Grand Master Yoda?" he asked.
"Granted, permission is, Jōnin Naruto Uzumaki," Yoda replied with a voice of mirth.
Naruto nodded his head before taking a deep breath and looking back at the council with eyes set on their goals, "Many of you are angry, and I do not blame you. You mirror the feelings of the Jedi Order as a whole. However, fighting the Empire head on is not the answer. There are other ways to make the Empire pay."
"You seem to have experience in this…" Obi-wan suggested.
"I do; I have walked the path that you are about to tread," he said this while looking right at Hondurra, and then Kota, "My village was considered one of the dominant military forces on our side of the planet, and in one day, it was wiped off the face of the earth by an armed group of Shinobi whose power and cunning were unmatched. Since my village was destroyed, I fled to an allied land, and then I travelled, learning from ally and enemy alike for the time when I would take my revenge on those who destroyed everything I knew. I did so, I succeeded in destroying the people who wiped out my kin, but it was then, at the destination of the journey that I realised how empty the victory seemed. I killed my enemies, those who took so much from me, but it didn't bring any of my loved ones back."
There was silence, total and complete silence.
"You all have been through this same ordeal. It is up to you whether you walk my path and see the terrible emptiness at the end or work to preserve what is left of the Jedi, your people." Naruto continued after a moment to compose himself, the wounds still cut deep, "The Empire, and the Sith expect you to do this, but there is a better way."
"How?" Tsui Choi asked, leaning forward.
"I believe I have an idea," Naruto replied, looking to the council; "If I can just be heard."
"I see no harm in an outside opinion," Tholme spoke up in defence of Naruto.
"Listen to your proposal, we will, unless any objections, there are?" Yoda added in agreement, looking around to see if there were in fact any objections to hearing Naruto out.
"I object, there is no need to ask an unknown for advice in a very simple issue," Hondurra said as he stood, "Why must we hide like dogs? We know who our enemies are, and we know where they are!"
"We do not have the strength to face them," Shaak Ti growled.
"Says you, and all members of this weak council," the Bothan shouted. "But I will not be deterred, I will take those who agree with me to Coruscant and we will destroy the Emperor."
"Have you not listened to a word that we have said?" Swan asked with rising agitation, "The chances of us defeating the Empire are-"
Her argument was halted by a raised hand between her and Hondurra's, from none other than Naruto himself. The Shinobi wasn't looking at Bultar Swan, but instead his eyes were entirely focused on the Bothan Jedi master. Azure eyes met orbs of a dark brown, challenging each other before the human released a deep sigh and began walking to the exit, for a moment Hondurra thought he had won, but it was just a moment.
"You think you and those few you can gather are a match for the Sith and their allies, huh?" Naruto asked in an almost rhetorical tone, reaching the exit to their chamber and turning around, "Alright then, I have a challenge for you. Defeat me, and then you may have a chance against the agents and forces of the Sith."
"Defeat you?" the Bothan asked, surprised.
"Yes, defeat me," Naruto replied without joy or anger, but with an emotionless voice and a face of stone, "Try and defeat me. If you can, then I will consider you able to not only defeat the Sith, but utterly destroy them and return the Republic to what it once was."
He spun on his heel and began walking out of the chamber, leaving a baffled and surprised council of Jedi behind him. He had reached the exit to the makeshift chamber before stopping and looking behind him, fearlessly repeating his challenge, "Well…are you coming or not?"
Hondurra hesitated for a brief moment, looking back at his fellow Masters, before rising from his chair and following Naruto out onto the chamber.
"There you are," Aayla said in way of greeting, not even looking back from her duty of bringing up the rear of the group of children and caretakers as Celeste silently dropped herself to the ground behind her. The former Jedi shadow gave her friend a wry smile as she too fell into step beside Aayla and Crys, "Where did you disappear too?"
"Took a nap," Celeste replied with a yawn and a stretch, "And I feel much better for it."
Crys shook her head, once again completely mystified by the carefree attitude of her two Jedi friends, before moving forward to join the Padawan leading the small clan into the encampment, "Sleeping in the middle of a dangerous jungle, I swear."
Aayla and Celeste watched as she walked past the younglings, seeing as Kennan and one of his friends, a little Twi'lek girl named Seddwia, rushed up to her side. The pilot ruffled her son's hair and took his friend's hand as she led them forward.
"If she's not careful she might be conscripted to be their new clan mother," Celeste joked.
"I don't think she'll mind," Aayla replied as they entered the outskirts of the camp, passing by a duo of watchmen guarding the main entrance. Both were Knights, they saw, and both looked tense and alert, but not in the direction of the forest. There was a commotion taking place in the camp.
Aayla unconsciously quickened her pace, Celeste following her as she skirted around the small clan of younglings. She saw that there was a commotion in the very centre of the camp, a small crowd of Jedi Apprentices, Knights and even a few Masters had gathered around two figures, and by the blond hair she could just about see Aayla swore she knew who one of the belligerents was.
"Oh no," she murmured as she reached the edge of the crowd and nudged her way into it, no longer aware if Celeste was still right behind her or not. She had just made it to the front of the line, nudging between a Mon Calamari and a Rodian to see what the interest was all about. The blond-haired human was definitely Naruto, and she recognised the Bothan at the other side of the clearing as Master Hondurra, "What is he doing now?"
Before she could even move into the clearing to question what he was doing the Jedi Master spoke up, unfolding his arms and placing them at his sides, "Challenging a Jedi Master head-on? I don't know if that makes you brave or foolish, boy."
Aayla blinked. Challenge him? Naruto challenged him to a duel? What the hell was he thinking? This was not the time to challenge one of the new seats to the Jedi High Council, and just how did Naruto get around to challenging a member of the new council when he was supposed to be taking a walk in the wilderness and Hondurra was supposed to be in a closed-off meeting? It all clicked in a heartbeat for Aayla, and she sighed in pure frustration. He wasn't taking a walk in the wilderness. He had been eavesdropping on the Jedi Council's meeting and had gotten himself caught.
"I love him, but I'm going to kill him," She murmured, so low that those around her didn't hear.
"Whether one's brave or foolish is usually a matter of perspective," Naruto replied evenly, a nonchalant smile on his face, "It's interesting that you call me brave or foolish with what you're planning to do, old man."
"Do not stick your nose into what doesn't concern you, boy," Hondurra warned.
"A number of Jedi are my friends, so that makes this matter my concern," Naruto shot back evenly, "I don't like it when some big shot wants to sacrifice the lives of my friends for some suicidal attack. Your naivety that a couple hundred Jedi can take on the full might of the Imperial War Machine is something I'm going to snuff out here and now."
"And how will you stop me?"
"I fought and bested Darth Vader in a one-on-one battle," Naruto replied, gaining a few hushed whispers from the surrounding crowd as he raised his hands in a combat stance. "If you can defeat me then I will back off and let you do what you want to do, but if I beat you then you listen to my proposal, without complaint."
"You defeated Darth Vader?" Hondurra asked with a look of pure disbelief, "Now that is quite a boast."
"I have witnesses if you want them, including two Jedi." Naruto replied, hand now resting on the hilt of his katana. "But I'd rather prove my mettle myself than letting stories tell the tale, now are you coming or not?"
Hondurra snapped forward, robes flickering as he moved with speed born from years of practise, lightsaber snapping into his outstretched right hand as he closed in on Naruto faster than the blond had predicted. His azure eyes widened in surprise before he moved, taking a step back and leaning to the side just in time to dodge the azure blade of the Jedi Master's lightsaber as it ignited. The Shinobi felt the sizzling heat from the blade before countering, grabbing the Master's outstretched hand and spinning on his heel, tossing the Bothan through the air.
Hondurra used his momentum, spinning in midair to land in a crouch, ready to pounce forward. Naruto used his precious few moments to draw his katana with his right hand in a backwards grip, and pump wind-natured chakra into the blade. He back-pedalled as Hondurra shot forward, blocking a strike of his lightsaber and locking the two weapons together. They were like that for a few brief seconds, both pressing their weight into their weapons.
"You have some skill," Hondurra allowed.
Naruto smirked, "You'll find I'm full of surprises."
Naruto pushed forward with all his might, overpowering the Bothan and forcing him to backpedal to keep his balance. He followed up with a series of precise sweeps and cuts from his katana, forcing the Jedi to backpedal even more. Naruto might not have one of the most fluent swordsmen around, but he considered himself good enough to hold his ground, spending a year training with the Samurai of the Land of Iron and the infamous swordsmen Shinobi of the Land of Water taught him a thing or two about footwork and swordsmanship.
Hondurra was the better duelist, however, and it soon showed. It wasn't long before Naruto found himself being driven onto the defensive, watching in mesmerised fascination as the Bothan began to move faster, constantly getting in close, attempting to get in under his guard. Then he jumped, feigning a strike which Naruto unconsciously went for and using that split second to somersault over him. Naruto recovered quickly, diving forward, rolling and coming up in a crouch in time to see the Jedi's lightsaber piercing through the air where he once was.
Naruto knew he was at a disadvantage, in a long range fight he would be able to systematically take Hondurra apart piecemeal, but in this close-quarters situation, he couldn't utilise his more destructive Ninjutsu because of the crowd, that meant that Sage Mode and drawing on Kurama was also out of the question; not that he would use his tenant's power in a fight like this anyway. In close-quarters to mid-range battles like this, the Jedi had the advantage because of their telekinesis and swordsmanship. It was like fighting a weaker version of Nagato's Deva Path every single time.
"Good instincts," Hondurra said as he fell back into his stance. "Decent technique, conscious of your surroundings, but I still do not believe you defeated a Sith lord, boy."
Naruto relaxed slightly, bringing up his sword to rest the flat side of the blade against his shoulder. "To be honest, we Shinobi aren't really used to fighting with swords. Our specialty usually lies in long to mid-range attacks, as well as close-range fighting arts and the usage of easy to use weapons like knives and shuriken."
"So you're Force-sensitive?" Kai asked.
"Sort of," Naruto replied, "…but at the same time not really. We utilise an inner strength called chakra instead of the outer strength of your Force. It means we can utilise a different style of ability."
"Oh," the Bothan hummed before his eyes narrowed, "Do not waste my time."
He rushed forward, utilising the force to speed up his movements, and caught Naruto by surprise. He was able to block the first strike, then the second, but the third made him stumble and the fourth sent his katana flying from his grasp, spinning through the air before imbedding itself into the trunk of a tree right to the hilt. He had utilised a force-push there, somewhere between the third and fourth strike. Naruto abandoned the sword, sidestepping and disengaging.
"You have skill, but not good enough, come at me!"
Naruto's smirk turned vicious and in a flash reached into his coat and pulled out a handful of kunai, "If you insist."
Hondurra rushed forward, and Naruto threw his trio of kunai one after the other, watching as their speed made them out as glinting flashes of light which were effortlessly deflected by the Jedi master, who didn't even slow his stride. He once again came dangerously close, and Naruto jumped back and high as he lashed out with a sweeping slash of his lightsaber. The blond reached inside his jacket and unleashed a volley of kunai and shuriken, Hondurra deflected those aimed for him, while at least four of the small throwing weapons imbedded themselves in the ground.
"Wasting my time on these toys," The Bothan snarled.
Naruto made a basic seal with his right hand, "What you call wasting time I call thinking on my feet... bang!"
The small flash bombs tied to the hilts of at least two kunai exploded in a flash of dazzling light, followed by a cry as it blinded the Jedi. Naruto landed on his feet, making the cross shaped seal for his favourite technique, "Basic Shinobi rules pal; look underneath the underneath, one strike is usually a pretext to something else and that's just given me the few seconds I needed... Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."
Where one Naruto stood now there were five, and as one unit they rushed forward, ignoring the surprised and shocked looks on those who weren't blinded by the flash bombs as they peeled off in different directions, surrounding the still-stunned Jedi master. The first one to strike was the one right in front of him, landing a kick to his stomach which sent him off his feet and airborne, the second landed another kick to his back, with a cry of what sounded like, "Nah!", and sending him higher. The one to his right followed up with a third attack, throwing the Jedi master higher with a cry of "Rue!", and then a forth sent him careening into the air with a cry of, "Toe!". Gravity brought him down, but not before the final Naruto jumped high over him, and landed a rotating heel kick which sent Hondurra crashing to the ground with a shout of, "UZUMAKI BARRAGE!".
The five clones got to their feet, four of whom vanished in puffs of white smoke, leaving the real one to watch the fallen Jedi. The crowd surrounding them was silent, surprise and pure disbelief written on most of their faces, "I haven't used that thing since my Genin days; I call it the Naruto Uzumaki Barrage-"
He stopped and whistled as Hondurra slowly rose to his feet, taking in huge gulps of air and obviously affected by the strike, but still on his feet, none the less.
"I should have known it wouldn't work," Naruto said in a dead-pan.
Hondurra reached out with his right hand, calling the unignited hilt of his lightsaber back to him and reigniting it as he stood back up. Naruto watched and waited, reaching for his pouch for a duo of kunai. He still couldn't use any of his Jutsu besides his clones, considering the usual widespread destruction which usually came with unleashing one of his powerhouse techniques, maybe a weak Rasengan would work, unleash a mob of clones, maybe a few weak wind techniques.
"You sure you want to keep this up, old timer? You look a little wheezy," Naruto said with a tight smile.
"Enough," a voice called, piercing through the silence, firm and final. Naruto and Hondurra both looked in the direction of the voice to see the rest of the High Council approaching, led by Masters Yoda and Shaak Ti. It was the female of the duo who had called out to them, and she didn't look thrilled by what she was seeing, "You have made your point quite clear, Naruto Uzumaki."
Naruto sighed, putting away his kunai and raising his hands in the air as a sign of non-aggression. The whispers began anew among the surrounding Jedi, most of whom were centred on Naruto and who he was. There was a lot of curiosity, but also trepidation and uncertainty among the Jedi gathered, and the crowd had only grown in size since the fight started.
"An interesting display, to say the least," Obi-wan said with a raised brow, "But what was your purpose in beating Master Hondurra to a bloody pulp?"
"For starters, I wouldn't say he's a bloody pulp," Naruto replied disarmingly, "Just had the wind knocked out of him is all. As for my purpose, I just wanted to show that as the Jedi are now, they cannot hope to defeat the Sith."
The whispers got a little harsh in some places, but not as bad as the council would have expected. It was Master Choi who spoke next, "How is that, Naruto?"
"Look around you," Naruto replied, raising his hand in a deliberately slow-sweeping gesture, his gaze settled on Kai Hondurra as he spoke the last few words of his sentence and hit his point home, "Just take a moment and look."
Look they did, and then they saw. There was anger and a wish to fight back, but under the thin veil of bravado there was something else, something worse. The council looked into the faces of the young Knights, Padawans, Masters and younglings assembled and saw exactly what Naruto was getting at. They saw defeat. The Jedi around them looked defeated. It was in their eyes, their gazes and in their very demeanours. This was a defeated mass of people.
Naruto walked to his sword and pulling it from the trunk sheathed it back into its scabbard. He began to speak, and everyone heard him. "There are other ways than blindly running to your deaths. The Empire believes that they have you cornered. The Emperor believes that he has already won, and in the short term, he has. The galaxy is with him, and until that fact changes, you cannot hope to win…but there are other ways."
"Like what?" he recognised Sia-lan Wezz in the crowd and her demeanour mirrored that of every other Jedi, lost and defeated, "What else can we do?"
"Become Jedi again, become true Jedi," Naruto explained, fist stretched forward only to close and creek under the pressure of his strength. "Become what your ancestors were, the ones I've heard stories about. Those who fought, bled, died and believed in good; the ones who understood what true strength really was. Become the voice of those who have none, become those who fight for justice and truth. Fight against slavery, fight against the criminals, fight against the tyrants, rebuild a base of people who believe in you and what you stand for."
He could see that he had them enthralled now, and used the momentum he had just built with them to drive his point home, "As guardians and peacekeepers of the Republic, you slowly and surely lost the core elements of what made you Jedi! Take them back! Prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that you are not those mages and sorcerers hiding away in their ivory towers! Prove that you fight for those who cannot fight for themselves! Prove that you stand for the innocent and the victims! Prove that you are the ones who stood up against a tyrant, who drew your weapons against insurmountable odds, and shouted to the forces of evil and darkness in a unanimous, undeniable voice 'no more, this is as far as you go!'."
Naruto looked upon each member of the council and the sea of faces surrounding him, seeing nods of agreement and smiles of hope, "Become Jedi again! Through that, the Empire will fall. Through that, the Jedi Order will rise again, stronger…better! Fighting the Empire head on is suicide, but undermining them, subtly opposing and stopping them in their darkest moments, that is how you will gain strength, and through your strength, the Jedi Order will once again stand tall!"
There was silence for a long moment, and for but a moment, Naruto had thought that his words had fallen on deaf ears. Then someone began clapping his hands together, and the blond Shinobi looked about to see Tholme, then T'ra Saa joined in, followed by the youngest in Fy-Tor-Ana, others joined in, Obi-wan and Shaak Ti, even Yoda seemed to agree with his heartfelt statement. One by one the Jedi in the crowd joined in as well, there were whoops and cheers, and through it all, Naruto saw his friends in the sea of faces.
The Grand Master hummed, and slowly the clapping ceased, "Need your help, we will. Truth in your words, there is, and much wisdom I sense, much wisdom. Accept your offer, we of the high council do, unless, against this wisdom, someone objects, hmm?"
It was obvious who he was referring too, and Hondurra knew it. He rose to his feet, and with a sigh of defeat bowed his head to both Naruto and the council, "I apologise for my outburst. I allowed my feelings and emotions to get the better of my judgment. If this council wishes it, I will stand down from my post."
"Denied, your resignation is," Yoda responded with a shake of his head, "Dark and uncertain times ahead, we face, and require effort from all, we will. A different opinion on the council is needed, one that may aid us in steering away from the path of destruction."
Hondurra paused for a moment, before bowing his head, "Of course, Master. I live to serve."
"Hmm, good, good," Yoda nodded, tapping his stick against the ground before turning around and making his way back to the confines of the council chambers, "Follow, yes, follow. Over, this meeting is not. Ask for the presence of Naruto Uzumaki and Knight Aayla Secura, we do."
Aayla blinked, surprised that she had been called, before nudging her way through the crowd of curious faces and catching up to Naruto. The atmosphere had changed. Her lover's plan seemed to have worked. The Jedi didn't seem so lost or defeated anymore! They were chattering and strategising, forming into groups to speak of what they had just witnessed.
She gave him a half menacing glare when she caught up to him, "Going on a walk, my ass."
Naruto shrugged, having the nerve to look innocent, "I never said I was going for a walk, you assumed I was going for a walk."
"Naruto?" Aayla asked.
"Yeah?"
"Shut up," she answered.
Naruto shook his head in bemusement, "Alright, alright."
"Naruto?" she asked again, this time with less annoyance in her tone.
"Yeah?"
Aayla looked up at her love with a warm, grateful smile, "Thank you."
A smile spread across his face in response, hiding away his feeling of guilt, "You're welcome."
Author's Note 1: After a small absence I return, sorry for the small wait but I was busy with life, mainly a job which I can't decide if I like or hate (call centres, I spend 4 yrs becoming an Architectural Technologist and I end up working in a bloody call centre?)... and coming up with potential new arcs for this story. I have a few ideas but at the same time I don't want to get bogged down into something and have my muse go on strike like he did in the middle of the Murr Talisman arc, so I have to be a little careful and make sure I don't lose interest. Because let's face it, when you walk into the proverbial dead end trying to write your way out of it becomes very difficult. I got that problem with a few of my earlier stories and I haven't been able to remedy their situations and I am determined that this one, which I enjoy writing about, is not consigned to that list.
Author's Note 2: As to the sudden duel between Naruto and Hondurra well, I feel that it's well within his character and when I think of a tense situation like this and Naruto, a duel with the leader of the opposition is an eventuality. I also got a few people who didn't like Kurama with a human form, and while I do understand their opinions the whole thing was me trying to be creative...