Sorry for the extra-long wait. I had family visiting over the last week, and that really ate into my writing time. Ironically, despite the wait, this chapter is pretty short. It was originally a part of chapter 5, but I decided to split them up.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Star Wars.

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Chapter 6

Naruto and Jiraiya had long since finished eating by the time the Council contacted Quinlan to summon them. Quinlan had joined them halfway through the meal, before offering to give them a tour. He had been showing them around some of the more famous parts of the Temple. They were in the Room of a Thousand Fountains when the call came across her communicator.

A few minutes later, the group of four stood outside the council chambers.

"Do you know what they decided?" asked Jiraiya.

"Not yet," he responded. "They'll want to tell you two first. Whatever it was, they certainly took a long time debating."

Jiraiya wasn't sure how to feel about that. It could mean that their problem was especially complicated and required a nuanced response. It could also mean that the Council wasn't fully on board with helping them. All he could do was hope for the former.

"Come on, what are we waiting for?" Naruto asked impatiently. "Let's quit standing around and go in there already."

Jiraiya shook his head at Naruto's impatience. Nevertheless, he had a point. Standing around accomplished nothing. So, bracing himself for potentially bad news, he opened the doors and strode into the center of the council chamber. Naruto, Quinlan, and Aayla followed closely behind him.

"Thank you for coming," Mace Windu began. "This Council has reached a decision regarding your… situation. We have an offer we would like you to consider."

"What sort of offer?" asked Jiraiya.

"We would like for you and Naruto to join the Jedi Order," Mace replied, his face inscrutable.

Jiraiya felt Quinlan stiffen behind him. Aayla actually gasped in shock. Clearly, this wasn't the sort of offer that was made every day.

"We are offering you a home here with us, as well as the chance to learn how to continue your quest for peace in the galaxy of today," Mace continued. That got Jiraiya's attention for sure. He had been heartened to hear of the Jedi when Quintana had first described them. They had seemed to mirror many of his own ideas and goals. The chance to be a part of that was undeniably alluring.

"Quinlan said we were too old to be Jedi," Naruto said, confused. He had asked the Kiffar Knight about becoming a Jedi on the trip from Tython. It had sounded like a pretty awesome thing to do, but Quinlan had been quick to break the bad news to him. According to him, only infants and young toddlers were accepted for training. Even so, there was no mistaking the tone of hope that colored Naruto's voice, nor the feeling of it in his Force signature. Clearly, the offer of a home had grabbed his attention.

"Traditionally you would be. In this case, however, circumstances have convinced us that a certain flexibility would be appropriate," Mace replied.

Judging by the uncomfortable shifting of some of the masters Jiraiya noticed, that decision had not been unanimous. That, however, was not what concerned him regarding that statement.

"What circumstances would those be?" he asked. He wanted to be sure of all the angles before he even considered accepting this offer.

"Your abilities with Force, concerning they are," Yoda answered. "Dangerous they could be in the wrong hands. Other groups, take advantage of your skills they would. Use them against the Republic. Avoid this we wish to."

"Understand, we do not make this offer lightly," Mace said. "If you accept it, we will be placing a great deal of faith in you."

Jiraiya nodded at that. He was, ironically, comforted that Yoda had admitted they weren't making this offer solely out of the goodness of their hearts. The fact they were willing to be honest and admit it was, in part, a tactical decision, told him the Jedi were already extending Naruto and him a lot of trust. He was grateful to them for that, but he wasn't the only one affected by this decision.

"What do you think, Naruto?" he asked, looking at his godson. "I'm willing to take them up on this, but only if you are, too."

Naruto was quiet for a long time. Internally, a debate raged inside his head. On the one hand, he was thrilled by the offer. If he couldn't go home, then being a Jedi struck him as the next best thing. He would get to go around the galaxy, see new worlds, and make a ton of new friends. He may not have been able to be the Hokage anymore, but this way he could still find a way to protect his precious people.

On the other hand, there was the Kyuubi. He knew that Yoda and the others had convinced themselves the seal was secure, but that didn't lessen the danger. He had nearly given into the monster inside him once. Who was to say it wouldn't happen again? The last thing he wanted was to put people at risk who weren't prepared to deal with something like that.

"What about the Kyuubi?" Naruto asked, giving voice to his private doubts. "What if I lose control again?"

"Hrrm, a danger the Kyuubi may be, but allow fear to rule us, we cannot," Yoda said. "Examined the seal I did. Secure it was. If weaken it does, then maintain it Jiraiya can, yes?"

"Yes, I can do that," Jiraiya said, keeping his shock off his face. How had Yoda figured out he could alter and reinforce the seal?

"Deny you a chance to live a full life because of your burden, we will not," Yaddle said kindly. "You should not deny yourself, either."

"A powerful Force entity, this Kyuubi sounds like," Yoda said. "Into the archives I will look, for more information on such things. Monitor the situation we will, but stand our offer does. Accept it do you?"

Naruto's eyes went wide when he heard that. A huge grin broke out across his face under his mask, and he had to catch himself before he literally jumped for joy.

"Yes," he said. "Just you watch. I'll become the best Jedi ever."

"A good thing to have, a goal is," Yoda said with a chuckle. "But many steps along your journey there will be. For now, ready to be Padawans, you two are not. Much you have to learn about the galaxy before that."

"Then what'll we be doing if we aren't Padawans?" Naruto asked.

"We have decided that for the next year, you two will receive an education here at the Temple," Mace said. "Naruto, you will join some of our Initiate classes, to learn galactic history, basic engineering, and other essential skills. Jiraiya, Master Yoda and Master Plo Koon will give you a similar education. Additionally, Master Yoda will be teaching the two of you how to use the Force as the Jedi do. At the end of that year, if we deem you ready, then you may become Padawans. For now, Master Plo will take you where you need to be."

"There is one other thing," Plo spoke up. "Knowledge of how you arrived in this time should be kept restricted. For now, if we must discuss it at all, we will tell others you were in stasis for all those years. Such technology exists today and has for over 100,000 years. It will draw little comment."

Both Naruto and Jiraiya agreed to that, once the concept of stasis was explained to them. It seemed a reasonable precaution to not bandy about knowledge of time travel.

"What about the Kyuubi?" Naruto asked again. "What should I say about that?"

"Nothing," Mace said this time. "Until we know more, it would be best if you told no one about it at all. To do so would attract the very attention we hope to avoid."

Naruto frowned, but reluctantly agreed. He did not like the idea of starting off his time as a Jedi with a lie. Lies had played far too prominent a role in his life up to this point, and he was truly sick of them. Nevertheless, he was a trained shinobi, and he understood the need for certain dangerous facts to be kept a secret. There weren't many facts more dangerous than the truth of what he had sealed in his stomach, so, for now, he would agree to the deception. He promised himself, though, that it would not last forever. Eventually, he would make it so he did not have to live in fear of the Kyuubi. Somehow.

With that, the meeting was over. The Kel-Dor Jedi walked over to two former shinobi and introduced himself. Excited once more by the prospect of being a Jedi, Naruto immediately began to ask questions of him, much as he had of Yaddle several hours earlier. The excited sounds of his voice faded down the hall as Plo Koon led them away, with most of the other council members filing out soon afterwards. Eventually, only Yoda and Yaddle were left in the room.

"A deeper reason you had for suggesting this than precaution against the Sith," Yoda said. It wasn't a question, but neither was it censorious. He'd known Yaddle for centuries. At times, her perception of the will of the Force exceeded even his own. He strongly suspected this was one of those times.

"Hmm. Too rigid the Jedi have become, too cautious," Yaddle stated calmly, nodding. "We nearly turned away young Skywalker out of fear. Dooku left, in part, because of our stagnation. The old ways, allowed the Sith to return they have. Our love of tradition has left us blind."

"Perhaps. More to this, though, I sense there is."

Yaddle nodded, her face turning serious.

"On my mission to Mawan, I should have died. Killed by Granta Omega's bio weapon. When the disturbance occurred, a vision of this I had. Able to prevent it I was, but more to the vision was there. Saw much darkness I did, but also light. At the center of the light, those two. The will of the Force it is, that they should become Jedi."

Yoda listened to this thoughtfully. He had also had visions of darkness coming, but he had not seen it was Naruto and Jiraiya who would oppose it. They had appeared in his vision, though, and he'd received no feelings of danger or enmity.

He also, if reluctantly, agreed with Yaddle that the Jedi had failed to detect the Sith for 1000 years. Their traditions had failed them in that. He would have to meditate further on what else they may have failed upon. It seemed the time had come for the self-examination he had resolved upon earlier.

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The first thing Plo Koon had done, once he had weathered the storm of Naruto's curiosity, was get both of the new Jedi trainees some more appropriate clothing. Jiraiya selected a set of standard Jedi robes, keeping only his horned forehead protector from his old gear. The rest he sealed into a scroll, much to Plo's curiosity.

Naruto was more reluctant to part with his shinobi gear, as much of it held deep personal significance for him. In the end, he donned a Jedi tunic and boots, but kept the flak vest, mask, glove, bracers, and forehead protector. He also kept the mesh armor, wearing it beneath his tunic. Plo Koon was somewhat nonplussed by his non-traditional outfit, but he said nothing. Jedi were not actually required to don the classic brown robes. They could wear culturally significant clothing, and that was technically what Naruto was keeping.

Next, he showed Jiraiya to his quarters. As he was a full adult, he would not be staying with the other Initiates. Instead, the Council had granted with a private apartment, complete with a refresher unit and kitchen. He would stay there until someone chose him as a Padawan. The arrangement caused some dispute with Naruto.

"I still don't get why I can't stay with him." Naruto asked for the third time.

"As I have said before, we have assigned you to the Clawmouse clan. You will share most of their classes, so the Council decided it would be best for you to live with them as well," Plo Koon replied with commendable patience. "Think of it as a chance to make friends close to your own age."

Naruto perked up slightly at that. He missed his old friends dearly. The chance to make new bonds with people lifted his spirits a bit.

The Clawmouse clan crèche was located deep within the temple, and the sun was beginning to set by the time they had reached it. As they walked in, Naruto looked around, taking in the details of what was to be his new home.

The crèche was divided into two main sleeping halls, with boys on the left and girls on the right. In the center was a mid-sized common area, where the clan could study and spend whatever free time they had. Off to one side were the Crechemaster's quarters and office, where the primary instructor of the clan lived while overseeing their education.

Spread out among the chairs in the common area were a dozen or so younglings of various species. They seemed to range in age from Naruto's age to perhaps a year or two younger.

"Younglings, gather round," Plo Koon said. This was followed by the muted thumping of small feet as the younglings quickly formed into a semicircle around Naruto and the Jedi Master.

"This is Naruto Uzumaki," he said. "He will be joining this clan. The Council has just admitted him for training, so he will have a little catching up to do. Nevertheless, I expect you all to welcome him into your clan, and provide him with whatever help he needs. He is one of you now. Any questions?"

A series of hands flew into the air. Out of the sudden forest of waving arms, Plo selected one Mirialan girl.

"Yes, young lady. Tell us your name first."

"My name is Barriss Offee. I was wondering, how did he come to be admitted to the temple? Isn't he too old?" she asked.

"That is an excellent question, Barriss. I am afraid, however, that is not something I can share. Only Naruto can choose to tell you of his origins."

At that, the crowd of younglings turned their attention to Naruto. He felt somewhat nervous. He hadn't had so much curiosity pointed at him in a while. There was a moment's silence, followed by an eruption of noise as each clan member tried to ask their questions. Naruto was soon overwhelmed by the flood of inquisitive young Initiates.

Plo Koon chuckled to himself as he walked to the instructor's office to inform her of the situation. The Council had decided that the two former shinobi should have the right to choose who they told their past to, or the modified version of it that the Council had approved, at least. Tiin and Piell had wanted the truth of their time as shinobi classified, but in the end, they were outvoted. The fact they had time traveled was one thing, but disguising their shinobi skills would have been impossible. Besides, there were many small, isolated, Force wielding warrior sects that no one had ever heard of. That there had been such in the distant past would surprise no one at all.

By the time Plo Koon had finished filling the instructor in on all the facts about her new charge, Naruto had managed to tell his story to the assembled younglings. It had hurt to recall his lost home, but Jiraiya had told him it would get easier telling people every time he did it. Naruto didn't want to hide from his grief anymore. He'd left out only the part about the Kyuubi. He still wasn't thrilled about not telling his new compatriots, but he understood the need for security around such a dangerous secret.

After checking that Naruto was settled, and confirming (much to general astonishment) that his story was true, Plo Koon left the crèche. Shortly afterwards, the clan instructor came out to meet the newcomer.

"Hello Naruto, my name is Maks Leem. I am the primary instructor of the Clawmouse clan. Do you… have… any…" she trailed off when she noticed Naruto staring at her with some shock. "Is something wrong, Naruto?"

"Wha- what are you? I mean, what species are you?" Naruto asked.

Maks blinked at the unintentional rudeness of the question. It seemed a few lessons on manners would not go amiss. Still, he was from a primitive culture she remembered.

"I am a Gran, Naruto. And it is better to say that you do not recognize someone's species than to ask such a blunt question," she remonstrated gently.

"Oh. Sorry about that. I'm still learning Basic, so I didn't know how to phrase it," Naruto said as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"That's alright, Naruto. You know now. Why don't you spend some time getting to know your new clan mates? You will be spending a lot of time with them after all," she suggested.

Naruto nodded at that and walked over to the group of younglings again. One of them, a Togruta girl he recognized, walked over to him. Her orange skin immediately caught his eye. How awesome was that! Here he was, not allowed to wear any orange, and she just got to be born with the most amazing color ever as part of her body. Talk about unfair.

"Hi there," she said. "My name's Ahsoka Tano."

"Hi," he said. "I, uh, I really like your skin color."

"Uh- okay," she said, confused. "Wait, are you making fun of me? Because you better not be."

As she spoke, she stepped forward menacingly, and she gave him a glare that would have impressed a Hyuuga. Naruto yelped a bit and waved his arms, desperately searching for the words to keep this girl from trying to hit him.

"No no no no no! I promise I wasn't. I was just- argh. I'm not all the way fluent in Basic yet, so I kinda just winged it. Orange is my favorite color. It's awesome. Please don't hit me," he stammered out. It didn't matter that this girl was nearly two years younger and seven centimeters shorter than him. She was still an angry female, and Naruto knew to fear such beings.

Satisfied that she had made her point, Ahsoka backed off a little. The boy didn't seem to have been teasing her. She was also secretly pleased that someone thought something about her was so great, even if he had a weird way of saying it.

"Alright, alright. I'm not gonna hit you, geez. Anyway, I had a question for you. Why do you wear that mask?"

"I do it to honor one of my old teachers," Naruto answered her. He hoped she wouldn't press for more details on that. It was still a raw wound.

"Okay," she said. "What's underneath it, then?"

Naruto's eyes brightened when he heard that. His mind flashed back to when his team had asked Kakashi the same question, and what the result had been. Glancing around, he saw that several other clan members were already paying attention to them. He could do it, but he would have to build some suspense first. His plan in mind, he focused back on Ahsoka.

"If you want to know, you'll have to get it off of me," he smirked.

"Oh yeah," she said. "Well, in that case-"

She lunged at him suddenly, her fingers grasping for his face. He dodged to the side before vaulting over her head and landing behind her. Grinning, Ahsoka turned around and pointed at him.

"Get him!" she yelled, delighted at the chance to run around. "Get his mask off."

With that, a sort of free for all began. The members of the Clawmouse clan all gave chase, determined to get his mask. Naruto was no easy target, though. He ducked, flipped, weaved, and generally danced around them all. He was faster than them, and far more experienced with such things.

As he rolled under the outstretched hand of a male Twi'lek before doing a handspring over the heads of Barriss and a human girl he didn't know yet, Maks Leem came out of her office. She'd heard the sudden commotion and, like anyone who'd spent more than ten seconds around children, figured it spelled trouble. She hadn't been expecting to find most of her charges enthusiastically trying to chase down and catch the new boy. Nor was she expecting said new boy to be evading said charges by way of some highly advanced acrobatics for someone his age.

"Younglings, stop this at once!" she yelled. The whole of the Clawmouse clan froze instantly. A general aura of nervous guilt seemed to spread across the room like an oil slick. Only Naruto looked unrepentant.

"What is the meaning of this?" Maks demanded. "Why were you chasing young Naruto?"

"We were just trying to get his mask off," the human girl said.

"And why, Viir, was this so important that you had to cause such a ruckus? What do you think he has under there?" the Gran Jedi asked.

"Do you want to see?" Naruto piped up. The instructor may have interrupted his plan, but she had also just given him the perfect opening. Maks looked at him with what he thought might be a questioning expression.

"Do you want to see what's under my mask?" Naruto repeated. Every youngling in the room instantly stared at him. Maks suspected Naruto was up to something, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what it could be.

"Beneath my mask…"

Naruto's hand slowly rose to his face. His fellow initiates leaned in forward with anticipation. None of them could wait to see whatever mysteries lay beneath the time traveler's mask. Was he ugly? Was he scarred? Did he have some horrible disfigurement? Even Master Leem seemed entirely focused on him as he hooked his fingers over the cloth and pulled.

"… is another mask."

Only to reveal another identical mask still covering his face. Most of the younglings gave out the strangled grunts of brutally murdered anticipation. Several actually fell down from shock. Master Leem just sighed. The matronly Jedi shook her head. That boy was definitely going to be a handful, she thought.

Naruto laughed so hard he slipped off of the chair he had been standing on. With a dull thump, he landed on the floor, still cackling like a maniac with a caffeine addiction. It was only when a shadow fell over him that he managed to pull himself together and look up.

Ahsoka was standing over him, giving him a flat look.

"You're pretty weird, you know that right?" she said, before flashing him a mischievous grin. "Let's be friends, okay?"

"Okay," he said, eye-smiling. "Friends."

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While Naruto was entertaining his new clan mates with his antics, Jiraiya was settling into his new quarters. He wasn't thrilled to be separated from his godson, but if this was the price he had to pay to secure their presence here, then he would count it as light indeed. A chime from the door roused him from his thoughts.

"Come in," he said. The door hissed open to reveal Yoda. The little goblin-esque Master hobbled into his quarters and sat on a cushion in front of him.

"Wished to speak with you I do," Yoda said. "Much there is to tell, on both sides."

"What do you want to know?" Jiraiya asked, cautious of the ancient Jedi. "I told you most of what I could do."

"Left out nearly as much as you told, you did," Yoda said, though there was no censure in his voice. "Trust each other fully, we do not. Earned, such trust is, amongst those like us."

Jiraiya nodded slowly. It did not surprise him that Yoda had discerned how much he had omitted from his demonstration earlier. The old Grandmaster had proven to be almost unnaturally perceptive. He supposed that having over 900 years of experience would lend a helping hand in that department.

"Wish to examine the nature of this 'chakra', I do," Yoda continued. "Unlike any expression of the Force I have seen before it is. But first, tell you I will of some of the threats you may face. Open your eyes must be, in such times as we find ourselves in."

"These threats, they're the ones that you wanted to keep Naruto and I away from?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yes. The Sith they are called," Yoda said, his voice now grim. "Ancient enemy of the Jedi, for many millennia they were. The Dark side, anger, hate, greed, all of these and more are they. Nearly destroyed the Republic several times they did. And now, returned they have."

"You make them sound like bogeymen," Jiraiya said, grateful that Yoda was translating so he could use such descriptive language.

"For 1000 years, hidden they have been. Thought them dead we did. If revealed themselves to us now, they have, then close to their goals, they must be."

"And what goals are those?"

"Death," Yoda said, staring into Jiraiya's eyes. "Death of the Jedi. Death of the Republic. Death of freedom. Wish to rule the galaxy, always they do. If into their hands you fell, use your skills to do this they would. Allow this to happen, I will not."

"So that's why you agreed to have us trained, to keep us out of the Sith's grasp," Jiraiya said. "Well, as reasons go, I suppose it's not horrible."

Yoda chuckled a bit at that, pleased that Jiraiya had understood the practical reasons behind Yoda's decision. He could tell that Jiraiya, behind his amiable, easygoing persona, was a skilled tactician, warrior, and soldier. While Yoda did not like the idea of the Jedi needing such skills, his vision had left him worried those skills would come in handy soon. Hence, he was extending a branch of trust.

"A reason they were. The only reason, they were not. But enough of such talk. Time for that later there will be. For now, examine your powers, may I?"

Jiraiya considered the request for a long few moments, but eventually nodded his assent. Yoda had trusted him with what was clearly sensitive information, and after less than a day of knowing each other. He supposed he could trust the venerable Jedi to prod around his chakra coils, trying to figure out how they worked. After all, he mused, trust was what bonds were built on. And bonds between people were the foundations of peace. Just because he was in a new time, didn't mean he had given up on his mission to bring peace.

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And that's the end of that. Nothing really massive, except maybe the first meeting between Naruto and Ahsoka. As you can probably tell, it isn't going to be love at first sight with those two. For one, they're too young, and for two, that makes for lazy and contrived clichés. My lazy, contrived plotlines will at least be original. Sort of. Most of the time.

This marks the end of this first arc. There will be an interlude chapter next, and then arc that will focus heavily on Naruto and Ahsoka. Hopefully the next chapter will be out quicker than this one. As always, please leave a review, they really do help. See you next time.