First off, I would like to apologize to those of you who have gotten flooded with update alerts for this story over the past week. I've been correcting some basic spelling and grammar mistakes in older chapters, and for some reason this site decided to send out alerts every time I did so. I don't know why. So far as I know, that isn't supposed to happen.
Also, several people commented that they thought Naruto's lightsaber would not be big enough to accommodate all of those carvings, so I did some math (don't worry, I'll recover). The average lightsaber has, not including the baseplate, between 750 to 1000 square centimeters of space on the hilt. Subtract a bit for various switches and dials, and you're still left with at least 700 cm2. Based on how I imagined Naruto's hilt, he would have between 750 and 850 cm2 available. There are 27 'pictures' carved into his hilt. If they average 3 cm2 each, which is the very biggest I picture them being, then that makes for 81 cm2 of carvings total. Add a little space between each one and call it 90 cm2. That means at most the carvings cover 12% of his hilt. Cylinders have a lot more surface area than you would expect.
Anyway, here is chapter 20. Thank you all for your support up to this point. I never seriously expected to reach this milestone when I started this story, but here we are. I hope you enjoy.
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Chapter 20
It took less than twenty minutes for their group to arrive at Shmi's apartment. Once they arrived, Anakin rang the bell. After a few moments, the door hissed open, and a bevy of delicious aromas drifted out of the apartment and into the hall. As they all stood and salivated at the smell, Shmi Skywalker stood in the doorway, smiling fondly.
"Well, this is certainly a familiar sight," she said, giving Anakin a quick kiss on the cheek, much to his embarrassment. "My son, turning up at the door with a bunch of strays, expecting me to feed them."
Obi-Wan chuckled while Anakin blushed. Naruto, meanwhile, was twitching with excitement, the smell of food making him drool.
"Hi Mrs. Skywalker," he exclaimed. "It's good to see you. Did Anakin tell you about me and Jiraiya? We're going to be Padawans, and we got to build our own lightsabers, and it's going to be awesome!"
"Slow down dear, you still need to breathe," Shmi admonished him, before wrapping him in a warm hug. "Yes, he told me all about it, and I'm very proud of you. That lightsaber looks wonderful, by the way. You must have worked so hard to make this much progress in just one year."
Naruto cheerfully hugged her back. Having never experienced a mother's love as a child, he eagerly accepted such affection now. Shmi, when she had heard this from her son, had made it her mission to at least partially make up for the love that Naruto had missed growing up. Naruto, who was both an easy person to love and also desperate for a living family, had swiftly established himself as something like either a favorite nephew or younger son in her eyes. Certainly, both she and Anakin considered him a part of their family.
Straightening up, she looked at Jiraiya. He smiled and bowed his head respectfully towards her.
"Oh, I suppose congratulations are in order for you too, you irredeemable reprobate," she said, her voice a mix of fond exasperation and genuine pride. While Naruto had been a fairly frequent visitor over the last eight months, she had only met Jiraiya a handful of times. She liked him well enough, and teasing him was fun, but she couldn't say she considered him more than a somewhat distant friend.
"Thank you for doing this for us," Jiraiya said. "It means a lot, especially to Naruto." Shmi nodded her understanding and turned her attention to the young Togruta girl standing next to Naruto.
"Why, hello Ahsoka. I should have guessed that Naruto would rope you into his rule breaking," she said. "It's good to see you again."
"It's good to see you too," Ahsoka said. While she had only met Shmi a couple of times, she liked the older woman. She was nice to her, and didn't criticize Ahsoka for being emotional like most of the Masters and Knights in the Temple did.
Finally, Shmi looked over to the one guest that she had not met before.
"So, you must be my son's Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi," she said. "He has told me a great deal about you. I'm very grateful to you for taking him as your student after Master Qui-Gon passed, as well as for letting him visit me."
"It is an honor to meet you, ma'am," Obi-Wan said politely. "Anakin invited me along, and I did not feel I could refuse him. He was very insistent, as a matter of fact."
"I should hope so," she said. "I have been wanting to meet you for some time. You've been taking care of Anakin for seven years now, and there are no words to express how grateful I am for that. Now please, come in, all of you. Anyone would think I have no manners, leaving you all standing out here in the hall like this."
With remarkable speed and efficiency, she herded all five of her guests into her apartment. Naruto and Ahsoka immediately made a beeline for the kitchen, much to her amusement. When Naruto saw what she was cooking, however, he stopped dead in his tracks.
"Is- is that- is that ramen?" he asked, his tone almost reverential.
"Yes dear," Shmi said. "Surprise. I figured you deserved a special treat, since you'll soon be heading out into the galaxy."
"I- thank you!" Naruto said, nearly having to shout over the rumbling of his stomach. "How did you get the recipe, though? I didn't think anyone knew how to make proper ramen anymore."
"I got the recipe from Dex," Anakin said. "I gave it to mom last week, and she found all the ingredients."
"How does Dex know how to make ramen?" Naruto asked, confused.
"I have usually found it wise to assume that Dex knows everything," Obi-Wan said. "He certainly gives a creditable impression of it, at least."
Naruto nodded. He had met Dex, and Obi-Wan was right. The boisterous cafe owner did certainly give off the impression that he had been just about everywhere and done just about everything. Whether or not any of his wild stories were true was anyone's guess, but at the moment, Naruto was prepared to credit him with inventing hyperdrive technology and founding the Republic. The man knew how to make ramen, and there wasn't a single thing Naruto could find more impressive about him than that.
In short order, the five Jedi had sat down at the dining table, and Shmi dishes out generous helpings from the massive pot of ramen to all and sundry. Naruto immediately began to inhale the heavenly concoction, emptying his first bowl in under a minute. Obi-Wan, being the only one present who had never seen Naruto eat before, watched in mounting horror and confusion. Horror at the sheer speed and voracity with which Naruto was eating, and confusion as to how he was managing to eat at all. The boy never once removed his mask, and yet managed to somehow both eat and drink through what appeared to be solid fabric.
Noticing Obi-Wan's distracted state, Shmi took pity on him and sought to turn his attention elsewhere.
"Master Kenobi, I must confess that I'm surprised to see you here," she said. "Not that I'm not glad, but Anakin has always said that you were very… rule abiding, even if you were willing to look the other way when it came to him visiting me. May I ask what changed your mind?"
"Several things, madam," Obi-Wan said, grateful for the diversion. "First was what happened after Anakin reunited with you. For years, he had carried an inner turmoil, one that I struggled to help him control. After meeting you again, though, he was far more at peace than I had ever known him to be. It was not something I could bring myself to deny him again."
"I appreciate that, Master Kenobi," Shmi said seriously.
"So do I master," Anakin said. Obi-Wan nodded graciously at their thanks before continuing on.
"Additionally, Jiraiya and I have discussed his views on the Jedi Code over the past few months," he said. "While I cannot say I agree with him in all things, I have come to believe that it is possible for some Jedi to form attachments to other people without risking falling to the Dark side. Anakin's attachments seem to strengthen him, and I am not minded to question such results."
Shmi nodded, before giving him a questioning gaze.
"That may explain why you let Anakin come," she said. "But it doesn't answer the question of why you decided to come as well."
"Because Anakin asked me to, and it was important to him," Obi-Wan said.
Shmi smiled at him, while Anakin sent a wave of gratitude down their bond. At the sound of loud slurping coming from one end of the table, Shmi looked around sharply.
"Naruto, what have I told you about table manners, young man?" she asked, a hint of sternness creeping into her normally gentle voice.
"Sorry Mrs. Skywalker," Naruto said sheepishly, before drinking the broth from his bowl at a more reasonable pace.
"That's better dear," Shmi said.
"Wow, why can't you be that obedient when I'm training you, brat?" Jiraiya complained.
"Oh, don't you start either, Jiraiya," Shmi said dangerously. "I blame every single one of his bad habits on you."
"Wha- that's just unfair," Jiraiya whined. "I'm responsible for 40% of them at most."
"Every single one," Shmi reiterated. Jiraiya just pouted comically and busied himself with his ramen. Smirking at her victory, Shmi turned her attention back to Naruto.
"You must be very excited to become a Padawan," she said.
"You bet," Naruto said after setting his bowl down. "I can't wait to go on missions."
"What are you looking forward to the most?" Shmi asked.
"I've always enjoyed helping people who can't defend themselves," Naruto said by way of explanation. "Jedi get to do that all the time, and I'll get to do it too when I'm a Padawan. It'll be great."
"You do know that the life of a Jedi is filled with hardship?" Obi-Wan asked. "You should not go into this expecting glory and heroics at every turn."
"I know that, master," Naruto said. "But when Ahsoka and I were down in the undercity, and we rescued those slaves, I made them a promise. I promised I would help people like them when I became a Jedi, and I always keep my promises. I don't care if it's hard. Helping people is worth it."
"I am glad to hear you say that," Obi-Wan replied. "That is a very mature attitude, and one worthy of a Jedi."
"Indeed," Jiraiya agreed. "I once heard your father say something much to that effect when he was your age. He would be very proud of you if he could see you right now. I know I am."
Naruto choked up a little, as he always did when Jiraiya said something like that. Blinking the sudden tears out of his eyes, he choked out his thanks before turning back to his food. Uncomfortable (for a 13-year-old boy) emotions could wait until later. For now, the food of the gods beckoned once more.
Dinner proceeded nicely after that. Ahsoka asked what it was like to find a Kyber crystal. Naruto just teased her by saying that she would have to find out for herself. Obi-Wan entertained everyone with stories of his and Anakin's more interesting missions. Much to Anakin's horror, this quickly turned into his mother pumping Obi-Wan for embarrassing anecdotes about him, something Obi-Wan was only too happy to provide. He fired back with a few of the more embarrassing stories he had gotten out of Bant about Obi-Wan. Jiraiya, never one to turn down free entertainment, subtly prodded both sides to keep the back and forth going. Naruto sat and soaked in the stories in awe. He could hardly stay in his seat for excitement.
Ahsoka, curiously enough, was unusually subdued. She laughed at the stories and answered questions readily enough, but aside from her one question earlier, she didn't speak up on her own. She seemed distracted, and even a little upset. This did not go unnoticed by the others though, with Naruto being the first to pick up on it.
"Hey, Ahsoka, are you okay?" he asked. "You've been really quiet."
"I'm fine," she replied, her voice defensive. When she saw Obi-Wan and Jiraiya's raised eyebrows, the stripes on her montrals darkened. Surprisingly, though, it was Anakin who spoke up first.
"Ahsoka, what's wrong?" he asked. "It's not like you to be rude."
Ahsoka glared defiantly for a few seconds before relaxing with a defeated sigh.
"I… don't know. I'm happy for you Naruto, I really am," she said, smiling weakly at her friend. "But I just feel… I don't know."
"Jealous? Left out?" Anakin ventured.
"Maybe? I mean Jedi aren't supposed to get jealous, but…" she trailed off, shrugging in confusion.
"Little one, the first step in controlling your emotions is being honest about what you are feeling," Obi-Wan said sagely. When Ahsoka looked at him, her face puzzled, Jiraiya stepped in.
"You know, I think I heard a whistling noise as that went over her head, Kenobi. What the professor over there is trying to say is that there's no shame in feeling what you're feeling, whatever it is," Jiraiya said. "You're still a kid, so don't beat yourself up too bad for having emotions."
"I guess," Ahsoka said, before crossing her arms and frowning. "I still don't like being left behind. I know I still have a ways to go before I'm ready, but sometimes it feels like it'll take forever."
"All you can do is be patient. Your time will come sooner than you think," Obi-Wan said. "In a year or two, you too will take the Initiate trials and build your lightsaber. When that happens, I'm sure someone will be eager to take you as their Padawan."
As he spoke, he shot a subtle glance towards Anakin. Most of the table missed it, but Jiraiya did not. He raised an eyebrow at Obi-Wan, who gave a tiny shake of his head. Jiraiya shrugged and let it drop. If Obi-Wan didn't want to tell him what that was about, he would not press him.
At that point, Shmi added her two cents. As a mother, she had a rather more developed sense of what might be troubling the young Togruta than the others.
"You feel as though you're not strong enough, don't you?" she asked gently. At Ahsoka's surprised expression, she nodded towards Naruto.
"He told me about what you two went through down in the undercity," she said. "I'm guessing you feel as if you didn't do enough to help down there, and now you feel as if you can't support your friend as he goes off to save the galaxy. Am I right?"
"Pretty much," Ahsoka sighed. Naruto just looked at her in shock.
"Ahsoka, that's not true. I told you, you did more than enough down there. You saved my life! You got all of those women out of that hellhole! You were amazing."
"Yeah, but I led them right into a trap," she said. "You had to save all of them, and me too, and you hurt yourself doing it."
"So what? We both helped each other out," Naruto said hotly. "That's the whole point of teamwork, that your teammates help you when you need it."
"I know that!" Ahsoka said, her own voice rising. "And now you're going off to do who knows what, and I won't be around to help you out anymore. I promised I would help people like those slaves, just like you did. I don't want to be left behind."
Obi-Wan opened his mouth to chastise them both for their display of anger, but a motion from Shmi stayed his words. Sighing, he closed his mouth and let her handle it. It was her house after all, and the last thing he wanted to do was get on the wrong side of the woman who had successfully raised Anakin Skywalker for nearly ten years. Though she may not have looked it, she was a strong woman possessed of a formidable will and, from what Anakin had told him, a razor sharp tongue when the situation called for it.
"Settle down, both of you," she said in a tone that brooked no argument. Both of them immediately contrived to look as innocent and apologetic as physically possible. Anakin winced a little. He had heard that tone plenty of times himself, and it had a way of inspiring instant obedience in even the most unruly of children. Once Shmi was satisfied that neither of them was going to do something stupid, such as speak, she continued, though in a much softer tone.
"Ahsoka, it's very admirable that you want to be there to support your friend and keep that promise, but you cannot let this get you so worked up," she said. "Naruto will be fine. He will have a Jedi Master guiding him. It is not a judgment on your abilities that he is moving on with his training. If you want to keep your promise, then do you know what you have to do?"
"What?" Ahsoka asked.
"Work hard," Shmi said. "Hone your skills, be the best that you can be. That way, when your time comes, you will be ready to go out and keep that promise, right next to Naruto."
"Okay," Ahsoka said, determination once more filling her eyes. "I can do that." Obi-Wan nodded in approval. She rather impressed him. With just a few words, Shmi had turned Ahsoka's budding jealousy and self-doubt into a new found drive for improvement. It was impressive.
After that, the conversation turned once more to friendly banter. Jiraiya told some stories of his own, both from his younger days, and from his time training Naruto. Additionally, Naruto, after a solid ten minutes of being pestered by both Ahsoka and Anakin, finally explained how he could eat and drink through his mask.
"It's simple," he said. "You remember how the mask has two layers?"
Ahsoka nodded, rolling her eyes a little. Of course she remembered that. How could she forget it when he had used that minor fact to play a joke on the entire clan not even ten minutes after first meeting them?
"Well, the outer layer is solid cloth, but the inner layer has a slit in it for my mouth," Naruto explained. "It's disguised with a seal, but it lets me eat and drink without having to take the mask off. I just have to sneakily lower the first layer without anyone seeing anything."
"That seems like a lot of trouble to go through just so you don't have to take off your mask," Anakin said.
"Maybe. But the looks on people's faces when they see me eat through my mask for the first time make it totally worth it," Naruto said, cackling a little. "Like Master Kenobi at the start of dinner. He looked like he was going to have a stroke. It was great."
"I'm so glad I could be a source of entertainment for you," Obi-Wan said in his trademark deadpan.
"Aww, don't pout Kenobi," Jiraiya said. "You'll put lines all over your baby face."
"Baby face?" Anakin asked, confused.
"Never you mind, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, trying to head Jiraiya off, but it was too late.
"The other day, when I was teaching your esteemed master how to do the henge, he tried to make his beard vanish," Jiraiya said, smirking at a resigned Obi-Wan.
"And what was the problem with that?" Anakin asked, still not getting it.
"He succeeded," Jiraiya said gleefully. "And it turns out his beard is hiding the face of a twelve-year-old."
Anakin paused as he tried to picture this in his mind. When he succeeded, he burst out laughing, nearly falling out of his chair from mirth.
"Yes, thank you, Jiraiya, for the funny story," Obi-Wan said with as much dignity as he could muster. "I'm sure we're all very amused."
"I know I am master," Anakin gasped between fits of laughter. Obi-Wan shot him a betrayed look, though he doubted Anakin saw it. He considered glaring at Jiraiya, but there wasn't really any point to it. The older man simply shrugged off all disapproval, with the sole exception of Yoda. The wise Grandmaster seemed to have somehow earned Jiraiya's respect, though how was a mystery.
Finally, though, everyone was full. In Naruto's case, it took a dozen heaping bowls of ramen to sate his vast hunger, but eventually he finished. After the table they had cleared the dishes off of the table, Jiraiya cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
"I was initially planning on just doing this with Naruto, but seeing as I have you all here, I might as well get it over with now," he said. Reaching into a pocket, he withdrew a stack of small slips of paper. "Here it is. Try to contain your excitement."
"Uh, Jiraiya-sensei, what's the big deal?" Naruto asked. "It's just some paper. Did your brain finally rot from old age?"
Jiraiya palmed his face and sighed. He muttered darkly under his breath, and phrases like "cheeky brats" and "can't kill my students" were clearly audible. After a moment he looked back up and flicked Naruto on the forehead.
"Don't be disrespectful, you damn brat. This is chakra paper," he explained while Naruto rubbed his forehead. "It's used to determine your elemental affinity when using chakra."
Anakin and Ahsoka looked on blankly, waiting for the explanation to stray into areas they understood. Obi-Wan nodded, having heard of this from Jiraiya's lectures some time ago. Naruto, however, immediately lit up like someone had plugged him into the power grid. His stinging forehead instantly forgotten, he jumped out of his chair and ran up to his godfather.
"Are you going to test me to find out what my affinity is?" he asked excitedly. "Does this mean I get to start training with elemental jutsu?"
"Not if you keep shouting like that, brat," Jiraiya threatened. "If you've got all this energy, maybe I should have you work it out in sparring. What do you say?"
Naruto paled a little at that. Sparring with Jiraiya was brutal, especially when he was trying to tire him out. While Naruto was never one to shy away from brutal training, and indeed he often sought it out, he also wasn't a fool. He would choose elemental manipulation over a beat-down from Jiraiya any day of the week.
"Sorry," he said, laughing nervously. "I just got excited."
"Yeah, yeah," Jiraiya said, waving it aside. "Anyway, in answer to your question, yes, I am going to test your affinity, and yes, I am going to start your elemental training. It won't be easy, since we're both going to be Padawans, but I'll make it work."
"And I imagine you'll be testing some of us as well," Obi-Wan said shrewdly.
"Yep. No point in waiting," Jiraiya replied. "None of you are ready to start that training yet, but we may as well see what your and Anakin's affinities are. You know how to channel chakra, right, Anakin?"
"Of course," Anakin answered. "Master Kenobi and Naruto have been showing me. I can even do the leaf sticking exercise already."
"Good, then we'll definitely test you too," Jiraiya said, nodding in satisfaction.
"What about me?" Ahsoka asked. "I want to get tested as well."
Jiraiya gave her an appraising look. She met it head on, stubborn determination filling her face.
"Can you channel chakra?" he asked. "Not just produce it, but channel it out of your body."
"Weeeell, sort of," Ahsoka said, a little embarrassed.
Jiraiya raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"And what does 'sort of' mean?" He asked.
"I can do it," Ahsoka said stubbornly. "Naruto showed me how, and I've been practicing. But… sometimes it doesn't work. I still want to get tested, though."
"Sorry kiddo, but if you can't channel chakra consistently yet, then there's no real point in testing you," Jiraiya said.
"Aww, come on Jiraiya-sensei, let her do it," Naruto protested. "She's been getting a lot better at it lately. I know she can do it."
The tips of Ahsoka's budding montrals darkened from the praise, and she stood even straighter. Naruto stood next to her, looking at his godfather expectantly. Jiraiya looked back and forth between the two of them. Neither showed the slightest sign of backing down anytime soon. Throwing up his hands, he sighed dramatically.
"Fine, fine. I swear, you two are the most stubborn, disrespectful pair of brats I've ever met," he said. The fond grin that brightened his face took any heat out of his words. Naruto and Ahsoka grinned back and high-fived each other. Jiraiya just rolled his eyes, while Obi-Wan frowned. He was still somewhat uncomfortable with how emotional the two younglings were.
"Alright, settle down before Obi-Wan has a coronary," Jiraiya said. "Now, Naruto, you're up first."
Jiraiya handed Naruto a slip of the chakra paper. The boy snatched it eagerly before giving Jiraiya a blank look.
"Uhh, Jiraiya-sensei, what am I supposed to do now?" he asked, causing Jiraiya to face palm.
"Just channel some of your chakra into it," Jiraiya sighed. Naruto nodded and concentrated for a second. After a few moments, the paper shredded into a thousand little scraps.
"Cool!" Naruto exclaimed. "What does that mean?"
"That means you're a wind type, and a damn strong one at that," Jiraiya said.
"Is that good?" Naruto asked.
"Wind is probably the most versatile of the five elements," Jiraiya said. "You can use it to push your opponents away, crush them, or slice them to ribbons. I'd say it's a good fit for you, brat."
"Awesome!" Naruto cheered, before Jiraiya flicked him in the forehead again.
"Calm down brat," he said. "It's not all good news."
"What's wrong?"
"Well, wind users were really rare back in Konoha, and I wasn't one of them."
"What!? You mean you can't teach me how to use my element?"
Jiraiya adopted an insulted expression, as if the idea was ridiculous.
"Don't be absurd, brat," he said. "I'm the best damn ninja in the entire galaxy. Of course I can teach you how to use wind chakra."
Naruto gave his godfather a deadpan look.
"The only other ninja in the galaxy is me," he said flatly.
"I didn't say the competition was stiff," Jiraiya teased. Naruto glared at him but didn't rise to the bait. He was still focused on his wind training.
"So if you know how to use it, what's the problem?" he asked.
"Well, I know the basic control exercises, and most of the advanced ones, but I only know a few actual fūton ninjutsu," Jiraiya explained. "You'll probably have to create a lot of others yourself."
Naruto just shrugged at that news.
"That's fine," he said. "I prefer making my own style, anyway. Besides, it'll be easier than trying to have you teach me a whole bunch of ninjutsu when we're both training to be Jedi Knights."
"That's the spirit, brat," Jiraiya said approvingly, before grinning. "This also means I won't have to put in so much effort training you. You get to do all the work for once."
Naruto spluttered with outrage.
"What do you mean 'for once'?" he yelled. "You barely do anything as it is. All you do is critique me and kick my ass when we spar. I'm the one who does all the exercises, the katas, and the jutsu practice."
"Hey, I put up with your bitching and moaning," Jiraiya said with a laugh, enjoying winding up his godson. "Kind of like now, in fact."
"I- why you-," Naruto said, his eyelid twitching. After a moment, though, he took a deep breath and shook his head.
"You know what, no. I'm not going to even give you the satisfaction. I'm just going to sit here and pretend I don't know you. I think that's best for my sanity," he said, as he did exactly that. Jiraiya decided to count it as a win for him and turned his attention to the others.
"While Naruto is nursing his bruised ego-" Naruto growled at that, but he ignored him "-let's get on with it, shall we?" he said. "Kenobi, I believe you're up next."
Obi-Wan nodded before closing his eyes and falling into a light meditation. Though he had come a long way in the last eight months, he still found it easiest to create chakra while meditating. It took only a few seconds, though, before everyone in the room except for Shmi felt his Force signature shift and wrap in on itself, a telltale sign he had switched to using chakra.
Jiraiya handed him a slip of the chakra paper, and Obi-Wan carefully channeled a bit of his chakra into it. It stiffened briefly before crumbling into dust. Obi-Wan looked at Jiraiya for an explanation.
"It looks like you're an earth type," Jiraiya said, unsurprised. "It suits you. It is the best element for defense, and you can also use it to disrupt your opponent's movements and deliver devastating finishing blows. Advanced users can even reshape the battlefield on the fly."
Obi-Wan nodded and looked thoughtful. He was already contemplating how he might one day integrate such a skill set into his style. Leaving him to his musings, Jiraiya motioned to Anakin. Anakin took a deep breath and concentrated. He didn't have as much practice or control as his master, but he was a very intuitive student. It only took him half a minute or so before his own Force presence shifted. Grinning with anticipation, he took the offered slip of paper.
As soon as he pushed some chakra into the paper, it burst into flames. He yelped in surprise, but by the time he dropped it, the small piece of paper had already burned to ash. Looking up, he gave Jiraiya a sardonic glare.
"Let me guess, I'm a fire type," he said sarcastically.
"Got it in one kid," Jiraiya replied. "Fire is powerful, but it's also the most dangerous element. If you lose control, you can just as easily burn yourself as your enemies."
"Yeah, I gathered that," Anakin said, waving his burned fingertips. Naruto and Ahsoka both giggled a little, and he shot them betrayed looks. As usual, neither looked repentant.
"Alright, your turn Ahsoka," Jiraiya said. "Do your thing."
Ahsoka gave a single, determined nod, before closing her eyes and focusing on her Force presence. Slowly, with a great deal of effort, she began to combine it with her physical energy. It was difficult for her, as she had never been one for meditation. Nevertheless, she slowly but surely began to blend the two energies together.
As she neared success, though, she let herself get too excited over getting tested, and her concentration failed. She could feel the careful mixture of energies she had spent the last five minutes creating slip out of her grasp. She grit her teeth and growled with effort, but it didn't help. The control required slipped even further out of her reach.
Just as she was about to give up in frustration, she felt a pair of warm hands grab onto her own. Before she could even open her eyes to see who it was, she felt a familiar Force presence join with hers. It was Naruto. She would know the warm glow and whirling storm of his signature anywhere. To her it seemed to emit a deep, pulsing thrum, like an enormous starship engine, overlaid with the sound of laughter. She found it oddly comforting and felt her bubbling frustration and anger melt away.
Naruto, working on nothing but instinct, gently guided her efforts back onto the right track. While he was nowhere near as skilled as Yoda, he could still take hold of Ahsoka's Force energy, and help her keep control of it as she turned it into chakra. From his perspective, her presence seemed like a flare of multicolored light arcing through a starry sky, like one of the auroras he had seen during his mission to Yuki no Kuni, but far brighter and more intricate. He found it surprisingly beautiful to behold, but he shook the thought off. Ahsoka needed his help, and he couldn't get distracted.
With Naruto's help, Ahsoka was soon able to create a stable chakra pool within herself, and he carefully broke the link. She shivered a bit when she felt his presence pull away from hers. The world snapped back into focus, and she noticed everyone staring at her.
"What?" she asked, suddenly self-conscious.
"What did you two just do?" Jiraiya asked cautiously.
"I helped her out," Naruto said. "She was having trouble, so I just sort of… I don't know. I just did what felt right."
"Thanks for that, Naruto," Ahsoka said. "Can I have the chakra paper now? I can't keep this up for very long."
Shaking off his shock, Jiraiya handed her a slip of the paper. Much like Anakin's had, hers burst into flames the second she channeled her chakra into it. Unlike him, though, Ahsoka had prepared for that. She quickly dropped the burning paper before her fingers could get singed. Grinning at her success, she looked up at Jiraiya expectantly.
"Well, it looks like you're a fire type too," Jiraiya said. "I can't say I'm surprised, but don't get too excited. You're still a long way from being ready for any training in elemental manipulation."
"Indeed," Obi-Wan agreed. "And I would also like to talk about how Naruto helped you produce chakra. What exactly did you two do when he helped you?"
Ahsoka frowned as she tried to find the right words to describe what she had experienced. It was a difficult thing to articulate, as sensations in the Force did not precisely correspond to those in the physical world.
"It was sort of like he kept my Force power steady," she said. "I was having trouble keeping control of it, but he kept it from slipping too much, so I could mix it with my physical energy properly."
Naruto nodded in agreement before adding his own perspective.
"I could feel her losing her grip on her power," he said. "It felt like it was shaking, or maybe vibrating. Anyway, I held it still and kept it from escaping out of her body again."
"Fascinating," Obi-Wan said. "If you could show us how you did that, it could drastically improve the efficiency of Jiraiya's lessons."
"Hey! Are you saying there's something wrong with my teaching style?" Jiraiya complained.
"Not at all. I was merely saying that your current methods take a rather long time to produce results," Obi-Wan said.
"Oh, is that all? Well, maybe I just haven't motivated you all properly," Jiraiya said, a downright evil grin on his face. "I guess I have been going easy on you lot, what with only focusing on meditation. Maybe from now on I should add a physical component to my lessons? A brisk workout perhaps? Or maybe sparring?"
Obi-Wan paled at that. Like most of the Jedi in the Temple, he had seen some of what Jiraiya considered a brisk workout, and like most Jedi, he considered it completely insane. Obi-Wan was all for physical fitness and strenuous training, but he drew the line at doing handstand push-ups with boulders strapped to your legs while balancing with one finger per hand on the ring end of a kunai. As for sparring with Jiraiya, well, he would leave that to beings like Master Windu and Master Yoda. He chose life.
When he saw Obi-Wan's stricken expression, Jiraiya laughed uproariously.
"Relax Kenobi, I'm just messing with you," he said. "I don't have the time to work stuff like that into my lessons, especially if I'm going to be a Padawan. Besides, you'd probably just die, and then all of my work would go to waste."
Obi-Wan's nervous look morphed into one of dry sarcasm and mild disapproval, topped off with his infamous raised eyebrow. Jiraiya just rolled his eyes at how serious the Jedi Knight could be.
"Fine, fine," he said. "I'll see if I can't recreate what Naruto did. You're right, it could be a useful tool for teaching people how to use chakra."
Obi-Wan nodded before glancing at the chrono on the wall. His eyes widened when he saw the time.
"It is getting late," he said, turning to Shmi. "We should not prevail upon your hospitality any longer, madam."
Shmi opened her mouth to protest, but Jiraiya chimed in before she could get a word out.
"He's right, we should get going," he said. "Naruto, leave a few clones here to help Shmi clean up, okay?"
"Okay," Naruto said. "Thanks for the ramen, Mrs. Skywalker. It was fantastic."
Shmi smiled and gave him a hug. Ahsoka got one too, much to her surprise.
"Remember little one, you will stand tall if you work hard for it," she said. "Never let yourself think otherwise."
Obi-Wan and Jiraiya both got fond, respectful nods in their direction, before Shmi turned to Anakin. She wrapped him in a tight embrace, kissing both his cheeks.
"I love you, Ani," she said. "You make me so proud, every day."
Anakin put up only token protests at this show of affection. His love for his mother ultimately trumped any embarrassment from having her dote on him in front of his master and his friends.
With their goodbyes done, Naruto created a half dozen clones to help Shmi clean up from their visit at Jiraiya's suggestion. She argued they were unnecessary, but Jiraiya would not budge on the matter.
"You gave my godson a stable mother figure for the first time in his life," he finally whispered to her. "I can never repay you for that, but I'm damn well going to try. Consider this the least I can do."
Naruto, with his preternaturally sharp hearing, overheard this and took umbrage.
"What do you mean it's the least you can do?" he asked indignantly. "You're not doing anything. I'm the one who'll get all the memories."
"Hey, a bit of menial labor is good for you," Jiraiya said breezily. "It builds character."
"Then why aren't you doing it, if it's so good for you?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow in a decent impression of Obi-Wan.
"Because I have character," Jiraiya replied. "I have character to spare. You, however, still need a lot of seasoning before you can be as wise and impressive as I am."
Naruto rolled his eyes and huffed, while Ahsoka, Shmi, and Anakin all tried to conceal their laughter with varying degrees of success. Obi-Wan looked on in amusement, shaking his head at the absurd antics that seemed so normal for this group.
With their goodbyes finished, they headed back to the Temple. Obi-Wan and Anakin headed back to their quarters, unworried about someone wondering where they had been. As a Master and Padawan, no one would question why they were up and about at night. Jiraiya simply melted into a shadow and vanished from sight. Naruto and Ahsoka, meanwhile, snuck through the Temple halls with practiced ease. Through a combination of air vents and Naruto walking on ceilings while carrying Ahsoka, they soon arrived back in the crèche unseen.
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The next morning Naruto rose reluctantly, still tired and bleary from the night before. His exhaustion vanished, however, when he got word that the Council had finally returned from the Hapes Cluster and was ready to see him and Jiraiya. He ate and dressed quickly, and soon stood outside the doors to the Council chamber with Jiraiya. He didn't have long to wait before the doors slid open and Yoda called them in.
He and Jiraiya walked in while she left to attend to her duties. The various Masters all looked pleased to see the lightsabers that now adorned Naruto and Jiraiya's belts; even Masters Tiin and Rancisis had glimmers of approval in their eyes.
"Done well, you two have," Master Yoda said. "Passed the trials of Ilum, you have. Learn much, did you?"
"Yes master," Jiraiya said. Naruto just nodded, as his mind flashed back to his first vision in the cave. Mace seemed to notice his reticence, and looked him in the eye.
"Is something troubling you, Naruto?" He asked. Naruto blinked, surprised at being called out, before he sighed and nodded.
"Yes master. It was something I saw in the cave. A vision, one of my old friends. I was just wondering, I mean, it's just-"
"They told you something you found disturbing?" Mace asked. "And now you are wondering if it might have been true."
Naruto just nodded, still unable to articulate his concern. Jiraiya squeezed his shoulder, offering him silent comfort and strength. Naruto welcomed the support after nearly three days of keeping his worry bottled up. As he drew comfort from his godfather's presence, Mace kept talking.
"The visions in that cave force us to confront our own inner fears and demons. We are all the authors of our greatest challenges, and overcoming ourselves is the first and greatest step in becoming a Jedi. I will not ask what you saw and heard if you do not wish to tell me, but know that it was your own fear you saw projected back at you. There are other Force nexuses that offer visions of the past or the future, but on Ilum it is ourselves that we face."
Naruto sighed as he felt the little ball of stress he had been carrying in his chest for two days finally relax. 'It wasn't true,' he thought. 'It was just a vision of my fears.'
"Thank you, Master Windu. There was one other thing, though. At the end of my vision, right before I woke up, I saw something… strange."
He described his vision of the strange, bald man and the green-haired woman. As he spoke, Yarael Poof leaned forward in rapt attention. After he finished, the Quermian master nodded and spoke.
"There are several mentions of such beings in the histories of the Order, dating back to the very beginning. Sadly, most of those records are lost, and those we have are fragmentary. To my knowledge, no one knows who or what those beings are, or if they even truly exist. They may merely be representations of abstract concepts, they may be the spirits of long dead Force users, or they may be something else entirely. I shall have to add this encounter to our archives. You said they spoke to you?"
Naruto nodded.
"Take careful note of their words, young one, but do not let them trouble you too much. Visions such as these have presaged both great upheaval, but at times they have also come to nothing. The Force may show us many things, both good and ill, but it is up to us what we do, in the end."
"Yes, master," Naruto said. He wasn't sure if that had been helpful or confusing, but it had certainly given him something to think about.
"Always here to help, we are," Yoda said. "On to happier matters, we should move, if no more questions there are."
When he saw that no one else had anything to say, Yoda continued.
"Padawans you now are, and Masters you will need," he said. "Masters we have found for you two, yes. Volunteers to take you as apprentices."
Naruto twitched in surprise. He knew he was still a controversial figure amongst many Jedi at the Temple. He had figured it would be weeks, maybe even months, before anyone came forward to be his master. Indeed, Aayla had even said that if he were still without a Master after three months, she would take him as a Padawan herself. Needless to say, hearing that someone had already volunteered to teach him came as a shock, albeit a pleasant one. Even after a year of being at the Temple, and nearly a year before that of being on team 7, he still wasn't used to anyone actually wanting to help him. Judging by Jiraiya's shocked expression, he was equally surprised by the announcement.
"Naruto, if you accept, I will take you as my Padawan," Master Windu said. Now Naruto moved from shocked to dumbfounded. Not only had someone volunteered to be his master, but it was Mace kriffing Windu. The second highest ranking Jedi in the Order, and one of the biggest badasses ever to walk, wanted to teach him how to be a Jedi. It was almost too much to take in.
He scanned Master Windu's face, looking for any hints as to what the man was feeling, but it was useless. His visage may as well have been carved from a mountain. In the end, Naruto had to go with his gut instinct to decide.
"I-uh, y-yes," Naruto eventually stammered out before collecting himself. "Thank you, master. I would be honored to be your Padawan."
"Very well then," Mace said. He stood up and walked over to stand in front of Naruto.
"Naruto Uzumaki, I hereby take you as my Padawan learner," he said, and bowed.
"Master Windu, I hereby accept you as my Jedi Master," Naruto replied, bowing back. Rather than return to his chair, Mace circled around to stand next to his new Padawan. Jiraiya grinned at Naruto, a look of naked pride on his face. The rest of the Council looked on approvingly until Yoda once again broke the silence.
"Jiraiya, take you as my Padawan I would," he said. "Accept do you?"
"Of course, master," Jiraiya said. "It would be a pleasure to learn from you."
"Mmm, learn from each other, I suspect we will, yes," Yoda said, as he nodded and hobbled over to Jiraiya. Together, they repeated the same ceremony that Naruto and Mace had just gone through. Once they had finished, Yoda turned to address the rest of the Council.
"Master Poof, ready are you, to assume your new duties?" He asked.
"I am," the Quermian master answered.
"Very good," Yoda said. "Then dismissed this Council is."
With that, the assembled Masters filed out of the room. Mace motioned for Naruto to follow him.
"First, we will go collect your things from the crèche," he said. "Then we will move you into our new quarters. You won't have much time with your friends in the coming months, so I suggest you take this chance to say goodbye. I will give you an hour. Go on."
"Yes master," Naruto said. He rushed down the hall, eager to get to the crèche. While the thought of not seeing Ahsoka or Barriss as often was unpleasant, his excitement to begin the next stage of his Jedi training overshadowed any regrets he had.
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"Are you serious?" Ahsoka asked. "Master Windu! The Master Windu is taking you as his Padawan?"
Barriss poked Ahsoka in the side.
"Of course he's serious, Ahsoka," she said. "Even Naruto wouldn't joke around about something like that. You are serious, aren't you?"
Naruto nodded eagerly.
"Yeah, yeah I am," he said. "I'm as surprised as you two. I figured it would be months before anyone wanted me. Hell, I figured I'd probably end up with Aayla."
Barriss looked back at him in surprise.
"Wait, Knight Secura offered to take you on as well?" She asked. Her shock was understandable. From what Naruto knew, it was really rare for Padawans to get multiple Jedi offering to be their Master.
"It was only if no one else had offered after three months," he said. "She just got promoted a month ago, and she wants to get more experience before she takes a Padawan for the first time."
As he spoke, Naruto glanced at his chrono. He winced at the time.
"I'd better hurry and get my stuff," he said. "Master Windu will be here in ten minutes. I don't know when I'll have time to visit again, but I'll come by as soon as I can. I'll miss you guys."
"We'll miss you too," Ahsoka said, and gave him one last hug. "We'll just have to become Padawans as soon as possible, so we can work together sometime. I'm still going to become a Master before you."
Naruto just laughed at that and went to collect his few belongings. He didn't want to be late for Master Windu. After all, he had a whole new journey to begin now.
A few minutes later, when he was all packed, Mace came in and collected him. Together they walked across the Temple, to the new, shared quarters they had been assigned. As they walked, a question occurred to Naruto.
"Master, what did Master Yoda mean when he asked Master Poof about 'new duties'? Is Master Poof going somewhere?"
"No, Master Poof is simply taking up my duties as Master of the Order," he said. "In order for me to have enough time to train you, I had to leave the post."
Naruto's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't imagined that Master Windu would sacrifice such a prestigious office in order to take him on as a Padawan.
"Oh. I'm sorry," he said. Mace gave him a confused look.
"What are you sorry for?" He asked. "You have done nothing wrong."
"You had to step down to train me," Naruto said glumly. "I didn't mean to be-"
"Naruto, let me stop you right there," Mace interrupted. "I chose to take you as my Padawan. The Force called me to do it. I have no regrets about passing on my former position. It was an honor to hold it, but training a Padawan is an even greater honor. I look forward to teaching you and learning from you."
"Learning from me?" Naruto asked.
"Masters often learn as much from their students as the students do from them," Mace explained. "I will teach everything I know about being a Jedi, and you will doubtless teach me a great deal about chakra, ninjutsu, and the limits of both my patience and my sanity."
"Oh," Naruto said, before he realized he had just been teased. "Hey! I'm not that bad."
Mace's face was inscrutable, but Naruto got the sense he was amused. Finally, they arrived at their new quarters.
"This is it," Mace said. "Are you ready to begin?"
"Hell yes, master," Naruto answered. "Hell yes."
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And that marks the end of Naruto and Jiraiya's journey as initiates. Overall, I wanted these last two chapters to be more light-hearted than the previous few, especially heading into the next arc. I like to take some time after major story beats to check in on my characters and show you where everyone is. That's why I moved the dinner scene to the endo of this arc instead of the beginning.
We also got our first look at our main characters' nature affinities. It will still be a while before I have Jedi breathing fireballs or making mud walls, but it's definitely coming. Let me know what you think of my choices for Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka. I didn't do any dual affinities yet, because those take time to develop, but don't worry. I'm not going to limit everyone to just the one element.
Next chapter will be the start of the next arc, which I am just finishing up now. Based on my current timeline for this story there will be two more arcs after that, and then we will be into the start of the Clone Wars. I know that this is moving slower than some of you would like, but I really want to establish my characters and their relationships with each other before I get into the war. It makes it a lot easier for me to alter canon when I actually know who my characters are and how they react to things. Also, I had some neat ideas that have to take place before the war, so before the war I stay for now.
Please leave any questions, comments, critiques, or diatribes you may have in the review section. Every bit helps, and reviews have led to me changing things in the past, so don't think its wasted effort. If you have questions, please remember to log in and allow for PMs, or else I can't answer you. Thanks for reading.