Can Jedi Wear Orange?

by dextron11

At the start of their trip, a mysterious power pulls Naruto and Jiraiya into the distant future. With no way back home, and no idea what's going on, what will they do? Join the Jedi, naturally. But there are other, more sinister forces after them as well. With the Force to wield and a new group of friends, can Naruto change the future of a galaxy threatened by darkness?

49. Chapter 49

Happy New Year everyone. I hope you all got off to a good start for 2024. When I started this story, I never expected I would still be writing it almost 3 years later, nor did I ever expect to be sitting at over 1300 reviews. Thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited, and especially reviewed this story. You've helped me become a better author than I ever thought I'd be.

I hope to put out more content this year than I did in 2023, and I believe I'm starting strong. This has been one of the most anticipated points in the story, not just for you guys, but for me as well. I mentioned parts of the last chapter had been written months prior. Well, parts of this chapter have been in the works since early 2020. I started writing some of the action scenes more than a year ago, now. Obviously, it's seen a great deal of refinement, but parts of this chapter are some of the first things I ever planned out for this story.

Before you get into it, I wanted to address something I forgot to mention in the last chapter. As most of you have no doubt noticed, I am diverging from canon on the size of the GAR. I don't care what sort of ridiculous post hoc justifications anyone tries, there is just no way the GAR could prosecute an intergalactic war when it was only a few million strong. That just wouldn't work. For all intents and purposes, it was treated as being much larger in canon anyway.

Additionally, the unit structure, rank structure, and chain of command in the GAR is almost indecipherable and very inconsistent. For example, despite only ever fighting with the 212th, Obi-Wan was technically in command of an entire System Army, with dozens of battalions under him. I will try to explain it as needed, but most of the time, despite that being critical to the success of an actual army, it isn't interesting or relevant information.

Unfortunately, a new year doesn't mean an end to old problems. As I have before, I ask any of you who can to give whatever support you can afford to Ukraine in their fight against Russia. I know most of you are probably tired of reading this request. Believe me, I'm tired of writing it. But I will continue to write it until the war ends.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Chapter 49

Naruto and Anakin winced in unison as they felt the Force spasm from yet another Jedi dying. It was possible, if difficult, to ignore the battle going on above them. To ignore the psychic screams of clones and Geonosians as they died. To ignore the growing cold taint of the Dark side. It was not possible to ignore the death of a Jedi. The whole Force rang like a funeral bell. A great void opened where their life had once been, and any trained Force user on the planet could feel it. Neither of them voiced the obvious. At least it hadn't been Obi-Wan, or Mace, or Jiraiya, or Yoda, or Aayla. At least it wasn't someone they knew well. At least. It seemed an awful thought, but there it was. Neither of them said it, but they both thought it. They both knew the other thought it.

At least.

Finding their way to the surface hadn't gone quite as smoothly as Naruto had hoped. Even when he let R2 out of the storage scroll (and endured yet another profanity laced torrent of abuse) the astromech had no help to give. Whatever part of the tunnel system they were in hadn't been on the maps he'd downloaded.

"Anakin?" He asked, mostly to break the silence.

"What's up?"

"We aren't… lost, are we?" The question tasted like mud. Jedi did not get lost. They could navigate their way blindfolded through a blizzard with nothing but the Force. They certainly did not wander aimlessly through dark tunnels, hoping to see something they recognized. The Force was guiding them. Just, in this instance, the Force's guidance and random wandering felt awfully similar.

"Of course not," Anakin said confidently. Then again, he said everything confidently. Naruto had once seen him confidently proclaim himself the very picture of health not three seconds before he passed out from blood loss after taking a knife to the leg. "I know exactly where we are."

"And where's that?"

"We're right here." Anakin's shit-eating grin deserved commemoration. It ought to have been cast in bronzium and put on a pedestal labeled "moron". Naruto fixed him with his best flat stare. Given who his master was, that look could have hammered nails into duracrete. Anakin just grinned wider.

"Oh, come on. That was funny."

Naruto just shook his head in disgust. "You know, Ahsoka's gonna chew off your nose if you make a joke that bad to her."

"Pffft," Anakin snorted. "She wouldn't dare."

"Oh, really?"

He nodded. "I'll be her Jedi master. Padawans have to put up with their master's bad jokes. I had to do it with Obi-Wan. She'll have to do it with me. It's a tradition in my lineage."

"Yeah, you let me know how that goes." Naruto could hear the moment his brother's shoulders slumped.

"I'm doomed, huh?"

Naruto shrugged. "Well, yeah. But you knew that when you asked her to-"

They both froze at what they felt in the Force. A brush of icy cold, like durasteel left out on Hoth. Shivers ran up Naruto's spine. He hadn't felt something like that since Rago. Since Aurra Sing. And this was worse. It lacked the mad howling of Aurra's presence, but more than made up for it in sheer, frozen menace. Aurra had been a rabid animal. This was a predator. Cruel, calculating, and heading their way.

"Is that…"

"Dooku," Anakin growled. "That coward must be running away."

Naruto swallowed hard. "He wouldn't run unless the clones were winning. They must be about to take the city. If we can slow him down, maybe Master Windu or Master Yoda can catch up to him. If we sensed him, they definitely did."

"Take Dooku down and this whole war ends before it begins," Anakin whispered.

It was a stupid idea. Phenomenally, indescribably, unquantifiably stupid. Naruto knew that. Anyone with two brain cells to spark together knew that. Dooku was a Sith Lord. But his entire life had basically been a series of stupid ideas strung together with improvisation and stubborn grit. It had worked so far. Besides, he and Anakin weren't exactly average Padawans. Dooku was in for a hell of a shock if he judged them just by their rank.

"We have to try," Anakin said, and that was the whole of it. They had to try. No matter the odds, they had to try.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go." Naruto raced off towards Dooku's Force signature with Anakin right on his heels.

In reality, the tunnels were no less winding than they had been, but now to him, they seemed straight. With a destination, a goal, the twists and turns in the way didn't matter. Just reaching it. Dooku moved fast, but they were faster. Soon, the hallways were lit again. Rough tunnels gave way to wide, vaulted corridors. Naruto didn't have any way of confirming, but he suspected they were back above ground level. There were no Geonosians in the halls, though, nor any droids. Indeed, from the layer of dust he could see on the ground, it didn't look as if anyone had been here in decades.

Eventually, following the taint of Dooku's presence, they came into a large, round room with a high vaulted ceiling. Three other doorways stood at right angles to each other. Eight pillars, carved with monstrous figures, supported the ceiling in a ring. There were more carvings along the walls, arranged in a mural. Naruto thought it showed Geonosians doing religion (he could tell by the knives), but the artwork was only of passing interest compared to the figure standing in the opposite doorway.

Count Dooku wore dark clothes, simply cut, but of the finest quality. A dark cape hung from his shoulders, adding to his already impressive silhouette. A lightsaber gleamed silver at his waist. Naruto had never seen the man in person before, but he certainly lived up to the rumors. There was a gravity to him that had nothing to do with the Force, a sense of power and importance he typically associated with Jedi like Mace and Yoda.

"So you are two of the scurriers making trouble in the city." His voice was deep and sonorous, made for giving grand speeches to massed crowds. Naruto and Anakin both took hold of their lightsabers, but didn't ignite them.

"You're under arrest, Dooku," Anakin said. "Surrender, and we won't hurt you."

Dooku sneered at him. "Surrender? After all I have accomplished here today, do you truly think I will surrender to the likes of you two?"

"How could you do this?" Naruto asked. "You were one of the wisest Jedi Masters in the Order. I looked up to you! How could you join the Sith?"

Dooku eyed him dispassionately. "I am not in the habit of explaining myself to foolish children. Stand aside."

"Not a chance, traitor," Anakin growled. "If you want to get past us, you're going to have to work for it."

The old man actually scoffed. "Work for it? The two of you do not even qualify as an inconvenience."

Naruto glared and ground his teeth. This had already been a bad day, and he hated people dismissing him. "Fine. Just for that, I'm going to kick you in your stupid mouth!"

Orange and blue flared to life as one. The twin hum sounded overwhelming as it bounced off the walls. Naruto and Anakin stepped away from each other, slowly moving to flank the Sith Lord. Dooku didn't even deign to sneer. His lightsaber snapped into his hand and lit the room in scarlet. He became a black pillar in a sea of blood, a bar of crimson fire held elegantly in one hand. His salute was crisp and formal. If he considered this anything more than mild annoyance, it didn't show in his face.

"A lesson, then," he said. "So be it."

All three moved in the same instant. Naruto and Anakin, a team in perfect sync, may as well have been orange and blue thunderbolts as they sped towards Dooku's red lit form. The Sith Lord took a single step backward and raised his blade.

Both Padawans nearly died in the first second. As gently as he might guide a baby, Dooku parried Naruto's blade directly into Anakin's face. Anakin yelped and had to duck to avoid growing a fatal third nostril. At the same time, Naruto wrenched his lightsaber up out of the way and left himself open. Dooku's riposte would have cut him in two if he hadn't flipped over it with less than a centimeter to spare. The front of his flak turned black from the near miss. There was no time to contemplate how close he'd just come to death, though. Dooku kicked Anakin in the face and then was back on him in a heartbeat. His blade was a red viper, prodding at Naruto's defenses with whisper light, lightning fast jabs.

'Naruto, this man is beyond you!' The fox's voice surprised him so much he almost missed his next parry. The smell of burned hair filled his nostrils, and he felt a searing heat pass just over his left ear.

'No shit!' He sent back. 'Not the time for commentary.'

"I had heard the two of you are prodigies. That the whole Temple speaks of your skills with a blade." Dooku sneered. "Imagine my disappointment."

Anakin returned to the fray with a Force-enhanced leap. His blade came forward in a wide slash at Dooku's chest. Naruto knew how strong that blow was. He'd faced it often enough in sparring, and it never failed to send him sprawling. Anakin hit like a Spice crazed Wookie. Dooku just flicked his blade up contemptuously and knocked the deadly slash above his head.

"You will have to do better than that, boy."

This time, he pressed his attack against Anakin. The older Padawan lost ground quickly under the assault. Naruto tried for Dooku's unguarded back, only for the old man to pivot and place Anakin between them. Once again, Naruto had to break off or risk skewering his brother. Twice more he tried, and each time Dooku maneuvered Anakin to be in the way.

"Kriff," Naruto swore. Anakin would not last long against Dooku one on one. He focused his chakra and made a dozen kage bunshin. Half of them vanished into the shadows, while the rest formed Rasengan and jumped at Dooku.

With so many attacks coming in from different directions, Dooku couldn't use Anakin as a shield and didn't even try. With agility to shame men a third his age, he jumped away. His blade flashed twice and two Narutos burst into smoke as he passed, and then the rest smashed into where he had been and dust obscured everything. Naruto cleared it away with a burst of wind chakra. He emphatically did not want to face Dooku where he could not see him. To his relief, Anakin looked unharmed. Dusty and panting, but unharmed.

The impact of so many Rasengan had blown a hole in the nearest wall three men could walk through and left a half-meter deep crater in the floor. Naruto could see more tunnels through the hole in the wall. He would have to be careful not to bring the whole place down on their heads. The four remaining clones stood around the crater with kunai in their hands. He hadn't given them a ton of chakra, but they probably had enough for at least one more ninjutsu each before they were down to just taijutsu. Dooku stood next to one of the pillars, as unruffled as ever. His cape wasn't even dusty.

"Better," he said. "But still not good enough."

"Oh, shut up!" Naruto shouted. His hands worked on the hilt of his lightsaber, adjusting and readjusting his grip. Anakin moved to his side and nodded.

"I will give you one last chance to stand-" Dooku didn't get to finish before two sets of hands grabbed his ankles and dragged him into the floor. "What?!"

He swiped his lightsaber through the floor and Naruto felt the two clones pop, but by that time he had already sunk up to his waist. Naruto gathered his chakra, and he could feel Anakin doing the same. Neither of them wasted any time taking advantage of the opening. Just like he'd signaled, Naruto went first.

"Wind style: Great Vacuum Bullet!"

He exhaled a hollow, transparent sphere of wind almost as tall as he was. The nearly invisible projectile looked like no more than a ripple in the air. Jiraiya had told him about a wind technique like it he'd seen Danzō use once. Naruto had recreated something like it, though he thought his version was better. After all, the original didn't explode. As the sphere was forming, Anakin added his component.

"Exploding Flame Shot!"

A spark flared to life in his hands and he threw it into the hollow center of the sphere. There it blazed to life, bright as a bonfire. Only the walls of Naruto's jutsu held it in check. It was a collaboration ninjutsu the two of them had developed for powerful opponents, and Naruto didn't think there's ever been a better time for such a technique. The shimmering sphere, lit from within, hurtled to where Dooku sat, trapped and helpless. For a moment, Naruto felt hope. Surely not even a Sith Lord could survive something like this. They were going to do it. They were actually going to beat him. Then reality dumped a bucket of cold water all over his optimism.

Dooku snarled, the Dark Side surged, and a five meter wide chunk of floor ripped itself up from in front of him and rose into a wall. With a sound like a giant clapping, the glowing sphere slammed into the stone wall and dug in deep. Chips of stone flew everywhere. For just a moment, it looked like it might smash through. Then it did exactly what it was designed to do and collapsed. In the blink of an eye, it went from the size of a man to the size of a marble. Swirling, high-speed, chakra infused wind met compressed fire, and the two combined. There was a flash to rival a noonday sun, and then the whole thing exploded. White-hot fire rushed everywhere, hastened and fanned by the wind. The enhanced flames hit the ceiling and bit deep into the rock. Naruto had to shut his eyes against the heat or else go blind. Sweat evaporated off him as soon as it tried to form. Even with the Force directing the worst of the heat away from him, he still felt lightly seared. Smoke curled off his clothes, and he suspected he'd just lost more hair. It was an impressive display, as powerful as he could have hoped, but he still tightened his grip on his lightsaber. Smoke and dust obscured his vision once more, but before he could clear them, a freezing, invisible hand slammed into him and Anakin, sending them tumbling across the floor. Icy cold seeped into his muscles, and his bones rattled like a bag of sticks. For a long second, he couldn't get air into his lungs. His whole body felt drained and trampled.

'Stand up! Get up, ningen. Do not just lie there like a worm.'The Kyuubi sounded almost desperate. That didn't do wonders for his confidence.

Through the inferno, he could just make out a dark shape moving closer. Even with the light of the fire, he could see the glowing yellow eyes. Just the sight of them was sickening. There was no humanity left in those eyes, no mercy, no care for life. Just hatred. Frigid darkness rose in the Force and the flames dwindled to smoldering embers. The ground still glowed red hot and molten, but Dooku never slowed his pace. Despite the sweltering heat, Naruto felt cold. An aura of ice and death seeped through the oven swelter. Dooku radiated the Dark Side like a frozen bonfire. Hate and fear, anger and cruelty, all under a tight leash, fueled the black furnace of his power.

"Is that the best you can do?"

'You will not die lying down like a coward,' the fox roared in his head. 'You have promises to keep. Now GET UP!'

Naruto gulped. He wanted to run. To hide. To scream in terror at the sight of those burning eyes. But he didn't. Whatever reason the Kyuubi had for being helpful, he was right. Dying here was unacceptable. He staggered to his feet, and though his legs trembled and his throat was bone dry, he held his blade steady. Beside him, Anakin did the same. His brother was no less afraid, but neither of them were about to retreat.

"I think we're doing well," Anakin said. Naruto almost laughed.

"I think so too." After all, they weren't dead yet.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Despite his earlier words, Tyranus was impressed. These two children were actually forcing him to exert himself. They'd even caught him off guard, not once, but twice. And that exploding chakra technique they'd worked together to create? Remarkable.

Of course, a large part of him wanted to kill them for it. Even with the Dark Side, those flames had hurt. Worse, they had humiliated him. Trapped him up to his ribs in the ground like some farm animal rolling in mud. Yes, he wanted to flay the skin from their bones and mount their heads on the walls of his fortress. He wanted that, and he focused that rage until it was a blade he could wield, a tool at his command. Power filled him like molten rock and frozen steel. No, he would not kill them. But he would teach them a lesson they would not forget. When he was once again sure of his control, he set to work with his blade.

The rumors had not lied. Uzumaki, at least, was a burgeoning sword master. Skywalker too, he supposed. Indeed, he was the better swordsman of the two. The older boy certainly knew how to play to his abilities. Djem So emphasized strength above all else, and Skywalker hit like a rancor. He didn't dare try to meet one of the boy's strikes head on. Uzumaki was not far behind in skill, though, and Tyranus could see the gap closing in the next few years. Mace had chosen well, but then, his old friend had always had an eye for talent. The boy's Juyo was impressive for any age.

Tyranus pressed Skywalker into defending. He wouldn't allow him to leverage his greater strength in an offensive push. Footwork was his ally there. Skywalker had the basics of Djem So down well enough, but he lumbered about like a bantha. Twice, no, three times in the space of as many seconds, he spotted opportunities to kill the boy. It was tempting. Oh, so tempting to deny Sidious his pet. His master ought to thank him. This clumsy oaf was to be his master's grand prize? This bundle of uncontrolled emotion? Absurd. But he dared not. He didn't yet have the strength to challenge Darth Sidious so openly. For that, he needed Uzumaki.

Skywalker attempted the Falling Avalanche and Tyranus sent him sprawling into the cooling rock those flames had melted. Cooling, but still hot enough to burn. The boy's strangled scream put a smile on his face. "You have a long way to go before you are worth my time, boy."

That would set a bur in the boy's temper. He felt a surge in the Force, and Skywalker flew off the sizzling rock. A moment later, Uzumaki was at his back, blade moving to take him in the spine. The Assured Strike combined with the Swift Flank. Clever. He spun his lightsaber behind his back and followed with a pivot. The orange blade bounced off red and then he aimed a shiim strike at Uzumaki's dominant elbow. Wisely, the boy dodged rather than try to block.

"If you had let your friend burn, you might have had me," Tyrannus pointed out. Time to start planting the seeds. The boy answered with a growl. Good. There was anger there. Perhaps even some hatred. More than enough to work with.

"I don't betray my friends. I'm not you."

Yes. Plenty of anger to work with.

"You think I betrayed the Jedi?" He gave the boy a false opening, but Uzumaki didn't fall for it. He understood something of subtlety, at least. "It is the Jedi who betrayed me. Betrayed the whole galaxy."

"Liar!" Uzumaki launched into an aggressive series of strikes. So aggressive Tyranus actually gave ground. A twinge of nostalgia tugged at him before he crushed it. The boy's style reminded him so much of Mace and their spars. There were the same tucked elbows, the same slightly hunched posture. The same irregular, staccato rhythm that looked the furthest thing from graceful swordplay yet ended with a blade buried in your chest. He even recognized the particular set Uzumaki was using. Mace had used it the first time the other man had beaten him in a spar. But Mace had been an experienced Jedi Knight by then. Uzumaki was still just a Padawan. Tyranus stepped into his Inner Ring and drove three rigid fingers into his throat. Not hard enough to kill, but enough to stop him in his tracks. His eyes bulged and a gurgling wheeze escaped his parted lips. Tyranus followed up with a Force push that sent the golden-haired boy sprawling into his friend. The two were back on their feet in an instant, a testament to their fortitude, but he could see the fear in them. See it in the sweat trickling down their faces, the slight tremor in a leg, the shrug of a shoulder, and the shake of a hand. He could taste it in the Force. It gave him power.

"If this is the best the Jedi have to offer, it will be a mercy to rid the galaxy of such weakness," he said. The Dark Side laced his words, and they would burrow like worms into the minds of those who heard them. Dun Möch could reduce weak minds to gibbering madness with the right turn of phrase. The two Padawans weren't so fragile, but he could sense the rage building in Skywalker. Uzumaki's mind was better shielded, but his eyes still glittered with anger.

"How about we rid the galaxy of you, traitor!" Skywalker bellowed. He contorted his fingers in those strange symbols again, different ones this time, and exhaled a sheet of fire that covered the floor between them. Uzumaki moved at the same time, and a gust of wind whipped the flames into a hurricane that filled half the room. There was nowhere to dodge and no time to pull rubble into a shield. Glowering, he forced the Dark Side into a blade and sliced right through the strange tangle of the Force, chakra he supposed, that sustained the inferno. Not a moment too soon, either. It split around him and splashed against the walls before it died away, leaving more scorched, glowing stone in its wake.

In the sudden darkness, he could only just make out the four figures coming at him from above. More of those chakra constructs Uzumaki favored. They held thick, triangular knives, and he almost laughed. Knives. Mere sharpened metal. Against a Sith Lord. They were truly desperate, if this was what they had resorted to. He took the first one in the neck before it even landed. The next one lost its head a fraction after its feet touched the floor. That was when he made his third mistake of the day. Through the Force, he felt a twisting, as if someone had pinched the fabric of spacetime. Suddenly, the copy of Uzumaki at his left vanished in a puff of smoke, and in its place was Skywalker, blade already in motion. The other copy remained, and its knife sped towards his heart.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

For just a split second, Naruto thought their latest trick might have worked. Dooku hadn't picked up on their twitch code back and forth, which had been the whole point of developing it. Anakin had timed the kawarimi perfectly, and Dooku should have had no time to react. He should only have been able to watch his death as it raced towards him. But, of course, they weren't that lucky.

Dooku's blade became an arc of bloody light. Even with his enhanced vision, Naruto wasn't sure how he did it. He felt the clone die with a lightsaber through its lungs, and somehow Dooku was behind Anakin, cool and unharmed. Anakin, meanwhile, radiated surprise and the shocked, adrenaline-fueled fear of someone who had just dodged death by an eyelash. He didn't let it slow him down, though. Taking Dooku with that first surprise attack would have been nice, but they knew to (sometimes) have a backup plan. Anakin spun so fast he blurred, and then it was back to a duel. Naruto rushed in to help. This time, Dooku didn't bother maneuvering Anakin into his path. The Sith Lord met both of them as they came.

'He's toying with us,' Naruto thought. It was obvious now. Dooku had never needed to face them one at a time. He was matching them both now, and easily at that. They had trained together enough to work in near-perfect sync, but no matter how they fought, no matter what tricks they tried to pull, Dooku countered them all. He wasn't even breathing hard.

They tried to flank him, but he sent Anakin flying with a back kick and kept Naruto all but running for his life until the older Padawan rejoined him. Anakin tried to keep his blade busy while Naruto went for his legs. There was a grunt from above him, and his blade stopped. Against a blue lightsaber. Somehow, Dooku had parried Anakin's blade into Naruto's. Only a hasty roll on Anakin's part kept his head on his shoulders.

'You cannot beat him like this,' the fox growled. 'Use your anger. I can feel it in you. It can give you enough power to beat this foe. Do it before he kills you.'

'No!' Naruto shouted in his head. What was the Kyuubi doing encouraging him to use his anger like that? He'd thought they were past that. 'I won't ever turn to the Dark Side. Not even to save my own life.'

'If you die because-'

'I'm not about to die,' he interrupted. 'Just shut up and watch.'

He backed off from Dooku just for a moment. Just long enough to generate the chakra for a ninjutsu he hadn't used in a while. The first one he'd ever truly mastered.

"Taijū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Smoke filled the room, and from emerged dozens and dozens of blue eyed, golden-haired, masked copies of himself. He wasn't sure how many he'd created, exactly. Even with his much improved chakra control, it was tough to get an exact figure when he made so many. At least 200. Probably a few more. Nowhere near his limit, but many more, and they wouldn't have the strength to be useful against a foe like Dooku. Besides, the room was only so large, and he didn't want his bunshin getting in each other's way.

"For ramen!" Came the cry from 200 throats. Naruto grinned and joined them in their chant. That was as good a rallying cry as any he'd heard. After all, if the food of the gods couldn't motivate an army, what could?

They didn't all attack at once, of course. That would have been stupid. Naruto didn't think even he could make enough clones to succeed in a bum rush against a Sith Lord. Dooku would just carve through them like cheese and then they'd be right back where they were. No, they weren't there to kill the old man, or even injure him. They were there for Naruto and Anakin. In twos and threes they leaped in, wielding kunai or rasengan, or even their bare hands. Some tried to tangle Dooku in ninja wire. Others laid explosive tags and other, more inventive traps. Some just ran up and screamed in his face before a lightsaber cut them in two. It was loud, messy, glorious chaos. The perfect environment for the two mad Padawans.

Kawarimi was one of three ninjutsu every Konoha shinobi learned before they ever got a headband. An E-rank jutsu, it stood among the most basic and boring techniques in any shinobi's arsenal. It was also one of the most useful. With a bit of forethought, on the battlefield a master of kawarimi could do more or less whatever they pleased. Anakin and Naruto weren't quite at that level yet, but in the last year, both of them had progressed considerably.

Jiraiya had roped Mace into helping him drill Naruto on the jutsu, and in an unusual display of underhanded sadism, Mace had bribed half the younglings in the Temple to randomly attack him with water balloons and sting bolts. Naturally, Ahsoka had caught wind of it, and decided Anakin shouldn't miss out on the "fun". For several months, it hadn't been unusual to see one or both of them running down the halls pursued by a giggling horde of younglings armed with sting remotes. Naruto had tried to get around with the air ducts, but Jiraiya had booby-trapped them in short order. To his thinking, if Naruto wanted to get out of dodging practice, he could damn well practice his infiltration skills. The end result had been both him and his brother getting very, very good with kawarimi.

As the bunshin did their thing, Anakin and Naruto randomly switched places with one, snuck in an attack, and switched out again before Dooku could respond. He blocked their every blow, but without the worry of follow on strikes, they were free to put every ounce of power they had behind each hit. Anakin's strength was like nothing human, and Naruto wasn't far behind. After the first few sent him staggering, Dooku took to ducking away or parrying the incoming blades rather than blocking them directly. Naruto wasn't sure how he did it, but even when he, Anakin, and four bunshin all attacked at once, Dooku maintained the upper hand and would have had them all dead on the ground were it not for kawarimi. The man was truly a demon with the sword. Still, he was old. He couldn't last forever. Not against Anakin and himself. Again and again he crossed blades with the Sith, and each time he taunted him a little more.

"Not-"

"So-"

"Tough-"

"Now-"

"Old-"

"Man."

In hindsight, the taunting may have been a mistake. Cold fury rose in Dooku like a tempest, and the room temperature plunged. Lights dimmed and walls trembled as his power surged. His eyes glowed like two poisonous coals set in a blank mask of rage.

"Enough of this," he growled. As Naruto came in to attack again, the Force screamed a warning. It was too late, though. For a moment, he thought Dooku meant to try blocking his lightsaber with a bare hand. Then bright tendrils of lightning shot from that empty hand and wrapped around his body.

Pain.

Pain beyond belief. Not like being electrocuted. At least, not in body. This felt like Dooku was pouring lightning into his soul. His nerves howled and his body writhed, but it was his spirit that screamed. Terrible, life sapping cold clawed at his life force. He was distantly aware of his remaining clones dying all at once, of his lightsaber slipping from sparking fingers, of his knees hitting the floor, but mostly there was the pain. And then it was over.

He wasn't sure how long it had lasted. Probably only a second or two. Dooku stood over him, face still a mask of frozen rage, lightsaber raised. Naruto couldn't move. His muscles were water. It was all he could do to raise his head and meet his death with a defiant glare. The red blade came down, but then something massive plowed into him from the side. Dark cloth obscured his vision, but he heard the buzz of a lightsaber and then someone screamed. Whatever had crashed into him turned into a dead weight, crushing him into the floor. With a grunt of effort, Naruto flipped the thing off of him and inhaled gratefully as his lungs re-inflated. When he looked at what had pushed him out of the way, though, he froze. It was Anakin. His brother lay pale and unconscious on the ground. Where his right arm should have been, there was just a smoking stump halfway between shoulder and missing elbow. Anakin had saved him, and Dooku had cut off his brother's arm.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Tyranus looked in naked shock at the severed limb lying at his feet. Fool that he was, Skywalker must have thought he meant to kill Uzumaki. Nonsense, of course. He'd only meant to leave him with a permanent reminder of the value of humility. But Skywalker had tackled the other boy out of the way. He'd raised his lightsaber to block, but clearly he'd misjudged his angle. Tyranus' blade had cleaved through the lightsaber hilt, the fingers holding it, and then the arm below in one motion. Pure chance had saved the fool's life, which was good. Sidious would already be displeased he'd maimed his favorite pet. Skywalker would die, and soon, but not at Dooku's hand. Not directly, at least.

His musings cut short when he sensed Uzumaki regain his feet. Power surged within the boy, but not the delicious cold of the Dark Side as he'd expected. There was anger in there, and fear, but not the taint of the Dark. Somehow, the power was warm and bright, despite the anger. Light certainly did not mean safe, though, and he watched the boy warily. Uzumaki had far more potential than even Sidious, and though he did not know how to properly harness his power, if he lashed out without thinking, he could bring the whole city down on their heads. Or possibly turn it to dust.

He did neither of those things, though. Instead, he summoned his lightsaber back to his hands and took a ready position. Tyranus smirked. How very like a Jedi to disdain power when it might offer victory. No matter. As his apprentice, Uzumaki would learn the true uses of power, or he would not last long.

"I can't believe I used to look up to you!" The boy shouted. "When I read what you thought the purpose of the Jedi Order is, I thought you were one of the wisest people I'd ever heard of. How could you join the Sith? Why are you trying to tear the Republic apart? Do you know how many people are going to die now because of you?"

Their blades met, and Tyranus immediately noticed a difference in the boy's style. This wasn't Juyo, or Soresu, or even the odd blend of the two he'd seen him employ a few times. No, he recognized this form. Vaapad. Mace had actually taught this… this child, Vaapad. And not just an overview, either. He hadn't faced Vaapad in over a decade, and then only in friendly spars, but Uzumaki was actually using the forbidden form effectively. Tyranus could feel his own anger and aggression turned back on him twofold. He was stunned. What had Uzumaki done to earn such trust from Mace Windu, of all people? Now, more than ever, he was sure of his choice of apprentice.

Uzumaki's blade was a blur, a storm, a predator seeking, panting. Hungry for blood. The beast struck from every angle, seemingly at random, buzzing and screeching each time it was denied. Another joined, then another, and then another. A whole pack of ravening monsters, carved from orange fire, snapped for his throat. Uzumaki was putting on the most impressive display of blade work Tyranus had ever seen from a Padawan his age. It wasn't enough.

To the eye, Uzumaki's face was a mask of fierce concentration. There was no distraction in his eyes, no strain on his brow. He looked focused, centered, controlled. But Tyranus' Force senses told a different tale. The boy resembled an explosion in the Force, one he was just barely controlling. Anger, hatred, and bloodlust all boiled inside him, right on the very edge of escaping his grasp. He was holding on with his teeth, right on the edge of Falling. Tyranus smiled. This was as far as the boy could go for now. In time, he would learn to push the limits even further, and when he did, he would be truly fearsome, but for now, he'd hit the wall. Tyranus swatted aside a beast looking to tear out his liver, took hold of the boy's arm, pivoted with his momentum, and flung him across the room.

"You see what I do as tearing the galaxy apart. I see it as pruning away dead weight, so the rest may grow back stronger than ever." He wanted to smile. Time to about the hook. "You have traveled the galaxy by now. Can you truly say the Jedi are doing any good? Can you tell me, honestly, that the Republic deserves to still exist? There is corruption and suffering at every level of our civilization."

"And you think war will fix that? You think the Sith will fix that? The Sith are evil. How can you not see that?" Uzumaki tried a double feint, first at his right hand and then at his head, before committing to a thrust at his hip. Tyranus parried it, sidestepped the kick that would have crushed his trachea, and caught him by the ankle in mid vault. Once again, Uzumaki tumbled across the rough stone floor.

"I see the truth. The Jedi are doomed. The Republic is doomed. They are rotting from within and burning from without. If I am to give the galaxy true peace, I must start by burning away the corruption." He'd heard whispers of Jiraiya's philosophy. Hopefully, Uzumaki shared it, and would be receptive to mentions of peace. "But I cannot do it alone."

"Oh, please. We both know you're not working alone." This time, Uzumaki tried for a draw cut to his temple that faded into a thrust and then turned into a whirling reverse stab. "You aren't even in charge. Your master is somewhere safe, pulling the strings while you fight Padawans in a cave."

First Vaapad, and now a passable stab at Dun Möch. Truly, this boy was full of surprises. "My master recruited me, it is true, but he sees himself as sole ruler of the galaxy when all this is done. I wish only to bring peace and order to chaos and corruption. I needed him, but now…" Time to commit. "With you as my apprentice, we could destroy Darth Sidious. Join me, and we can do what the Jedi never could. We will put the galaxy to right. No more corruption. No more greedy corporations strangling whole systems. Join me, and we can end all the suffering."

He'd expected any number of responses to his offer. Eager acceptance (unlikely, but possible), conflicted denials, even outright rage. Not laughter, though. In his shock, he wondered if any being had ever before laughed at an offer of apprenticeship from a Sith Lord. He rather doubted it. Uzumaki did, though, so hard he bent almost double. It wasn't purely amused laughter, either. There was something beneath the amusement. Something bitter and hard and sharp.

"Join you? Join you? Hahahahaha." He shook his head, and when he looked back at Tyranus, his blue eyes could have bored holes through beskar. "I will neverjoin you. Never. Even if I fell to the Dark Side, I still wouldn't ever stand at your side. You wanna know why?" Somehow, his eyes grew harder. "Because you had my sister murdered."

Tyranus blinked at that. His sister. Uzumaki didn't have a sister. So far as he knew, the boy had been without family, even back in the ancient past where he had been born. Even if Uzumaki did have a sibling, he had certainly never had her killed. Was the boy raving?

Something of the confusion he felt must have shown on his face, because Uzumaki practically vibrated with fury. "You don't even know what I'm talking about, do you?"

"Whoever your sister was, I had nothing to do with-"

The attack came without warning, so fast he almost missed it. Chakra surged in the boy and he made a slashing motion with two fingers. Nothing visibly happened, but the Force screamed he was about to die and he wove a shield purely on instinct. Something like a cloud of invisible razors skated off it, and a dozen deep slices appeared in the walls and floor. Two of the invisible blades sliced clean through a pillar and the wall behind it. The chunk of stone that fell out had edges so smooth they shone like mirrors. If just one of those had hit him, he would be dead. The Force warned him again, and this time he raised his blade to block a slice at his neck. Uzumaki looked at him with undisguised hatred for the first time.

"Viir. Her name was Viir." And then the boy spat in his face.

'Enough of this,' he thought as saliva dripped from his cheek. He had accomplished what he meant to do. It was time to go, but not before imparting a final lesson. He might have allowed the refusal to pass, but spitting on him? That could not stand. As Uzumaki came in for another exchange of blows, Tyranus stopped holding back. He parried the first strike, and his riposte severed a tendon in Uzumaki's left elbow. The boy bit off a scream of pain, and before he could adjust, Tyranus drove his lightsaber through the boy's right thigh. There was no suppressing that scream. Just for good measure, after he deactivated his blade, he wrapped his fingers around the insolent Padawan's neck, hauled him off his feet, and threw him halfway across the room. The boy bounced like a ragdoll and howled in agony as the fall jostled his fresh wounds. When he walked over to him, though, he was still conscious and still glaring defiantly.

"You must have pissed someone off. I think they spit in your face," he mocked.

Tyranus glowered down at the mouthy Padawan, inwardly marveling at how he remained so annoying even while on the ground, bleeding and disabled. Before he could ponder the unfortunate ability any further, though, the Force warned him of a threat from below. The ground beneath his feet rumbled yet again (was the boy so stupid as to attempt the same trap twice in one fight?) and yet another of those fascinating chakra copies burst from the floor in a shower of dust and debris. He leaned back out of the way of its attack, a knife meant for his left eye, and seized it around the throat. With a brief flex of his hand, he felt the satisfying crunch as its windpipe collapsed, before it dissipated in a puff of smoke like all the others.

"Was that truly the-"

He broke off as the Force sent him another warning. This one came too late, though. Faster than he could dodge, a booted foot came flying out of the smoke and smashed into his mouth. Pain erupted from his face, and he tasted the metallic tang of blood on his tongue. However, despite the element of surprise, the blow did little besides sting. Uzumaki had sacrificed both power and technique in favor of speed, which was the only reason he'd landed a hit at all. Snarling through bruised lips, he flung the boy back to the ground with the Force, hard enough to split the stone. His pained grunt was deeply gratifying. When the last of the smoke and dust cleared, though, the insolent brat was still smiling beneath his mask.

"I told you I'd kick you in your stupid mouth," he rasped weakly. It had been a futile gesture, and yet his eyes still held a glint of stubborn pride.

"Indeed." Tyranus kept his tone even, despite the rage coursing through his veins. "That was vicious, dishonorable, and ruthless. All excellent qualities in a Sith. Well done. I don't suppose you would reconsider my offer?"

The boy glared at him and suggested he do something anatomically unlikely with his reproductive organs. He made several such suggestions, in fact, each more impolite than the last. It was actually rather impressive, in a vulgar sort of way.

Tyranus raised a single eyebrow. "So be it."

With that, he unleashed the icy fury that had been building in him the entire fight. Blinding tendrils of lightning poured from his hands into the prone boy before him. The sudden, flickering light cast hellish shadows across the ruined chamber, and the crackling of his power drowned out Uzumaki's agonized screams. For the first few seconds, Tyranus felt his feeble attempts to block or redirect the attack with the Force, but soon even those ceased as he writhed and shrieked on the floor. No doubt the pain was the only thing keeping him conscious. Idly, Tyranus wondered just how much punishment his body would take before it failed. Already, his skin was blistered and scorched. Smoke rose from his form, and his initial flailing had subsided into spasmodic twitches.

A cruel sneer tugged at his bloodied lips as he watched his work. He wouldn't kill Uzumaki. Not yet, at least. His master still found the boy valuable, as a source of knowledge on chakra. Tyranus, too, saw use for him, but not merely as an unwitting tutor. No, he would make the perfect weapon, a dagger he could slip between his master's ribs at just the right moment. That was, after he learned his proper place, and the price people paid for defying him.

He broke off the assault to let the boy breathe for a moment, and then set upon him anew. It was a cycle Sidious had used on him and he'd used on Ventress, meant to keep the subject on the brink without ever pushing into permanent injury. Uzumaki was naturally sturdier than himself or his assassin, though, and he could push commensurately harder. Twice more he paused before the boy's heart stopped, and then resumed. Each cycle was shorter than the last, but no less intense for it. Already, his screams had faded, first to pained whimpers, then to a hoarse gurgle, and now to silence. When he focused his power for a fourth round, though, a voice like tempered phrik split the air.

"Enough!" The Force slammed into him, breaking the concentration needed for Sith Lightning and sending him sliding backwards on his feet a dozen meters. Something invisible grabbed Uzumaki's unconscious body and moved him aside. From out of a shadowed doorway stepped Mace Windu. There were no clones with him, but then again, they were unnecessary. Tyranus assessed his chances against his onetime friend and grimaced internally. Perhaps if he were fresh, but even the small exertion it had taken to subdue the two Padawans could tip the balance away from him. He would have to escape, somehow.

"Enough," Mace repeated. "You will not lay another hand on my Padawan."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Mace watched Dooku warily as he spoke. Naruto's pain itched at the back of his mind like a grain of hot sand in his brain, but he refused to close the link. Not unless he absolutely had to. The young man needed that bit of reassurance that things would be okay now, even if Mace was not at all sure they would be.

"I will give you the same warning I gave Uzumaki and his friend. Stand aside." Dooku spoke as if his victory were a foregone conclusion, but Mace knew better. He'd been friends with this man for twenty years before he'd betrayed the Order. He could see the faint tension at the corners of his mouth.

"I cannot do that," he replied. "You tortured my Padawan. I will not let that pass unanswered."

"He acquitted himself well for his age," Dooku said. "You must be very proud of him."

"He is a remarkable young man," Mace replied. He would indulge this conversation a while longer if it meant getting even an ounce more information from Dooku. "I expect he will surpass me within ten years."

Dooku arched a brow. "You do him a disservice, Master Windu. I would guess closer to five. But I'm afraid both of you will be long dead by then. As will the rest of the corrupt Jedi Order."

"You speak as if the outcome is already assured. I promise you, it is not."

For the first time in years, Mace let the full weight of who and what he was settle on the world around him. The lights flickered, a few wall panels burst into showers of sparks, and a thin spiderweb of cracks spread across the stone floor. A faint sheen of sweat appeared on Dooku's brow, before he too brought forth the fullness of his power. It beat against his own like an icy sea against a cliff face. The air between them shimmered, and Mace fancied he could almost hear a faint hum, as if from a nearby power line.

In the Force, he could see the shatterpoint around Dooku. It stretched out in every direction, into both the past and the future, far beyond his ability to perceive. This was it. His one chance to end this madness before the whole galaxy went up in flames.

"Surrender," he said, though it galled him to offer that chance to the man who'd brutalized Naruto. "This can stop here and now. You can save billions of lives. Whatever Darkness has clouded your mind, you must know this is wrong."

The Sith Lord sighed, and for a moment he looked like nothing more than a sad, tired old man. Mace allowed hope to enter his heart, a guarded hope that his old friend might somehow step back from the brink. The moment passed, though, and Dooku's Force presence soured and turned cold once more. A baleful yellow glow lit his eyes, and Mace knew he was lost.

"I'm afraid it's far too late for that, old friend. No, this is the only way. You just can't see it. The Dark side has not clouded my vision, it has given me clarity. This is the only way to the future."

The warm brush of hope died in Mace's chest, and implacable duty surged to take its place. "You cannot even see what you have become, can you? In the name of the Galactic Republic, you are under arrest." His lightsaber ignited and filled the room with violet light. At the same time, Dooku activated his own blade. The crimson glow cast hideous shadows across his face and made him finally look like the monster he had become. For one final second, they faced each other from across the room. Then Mace charged forward. His blade slammed into Dooku's, and for the first time in 1000 years, a Sith Lord and a Jedi Master met each other in open war.

In his entire life, Mace had only known two beings who could match his current skill with a blade. One was Yoda. The Grandmaster was, undoubtedly, the most skilled swordsman in the galaxy, and the only person he could unambiguously say was his superior in a duel. Mace had only defeated him a handful of times in their many spars. The other was Dooku, and he honestly did not know which of them was the better warrior. He was thirty years younger, true, but Dooku had thirty years more experience. The traitor specialized in lightsaber duels, and, before he'd left the Order, had been acknowledged as near peerless in his skill and power with the Force. It was a decidedly odd sensation, he observed in the back of his mind as their blades carved out trails of burning light, not knowing after so many years if he was the more skilled warrior in a duel. Such thoughts were faint whispers in the distant recesses of his mind, however. All of his active concentration was on the Sith Lord currently trying to part him from his life.

It was easily the most intense duel he'd ever fought. Dooku was every bit as skilled as he remembered; a lethal blend of fluid grace and machine-like precision. Mace nearly lost his left eye to a lightning fast riposte in their first exchange. He hadn't even seen the strike coming. Dooku had flicked his wrist ever so slightly, and suddenly the Force warned him of the crimson plasma two centimeters from his eye. He twisted back out of the way and flowed with the momentum into a reverse stab and spin kick combo. It was one of his more effective sequences, deceptive and tricky to dodge. Many a past opponent had found themselves with a lightsaber in the gut or a boot to the face from it. Even with the Force enhancing his speed, though, Dooku just managed to slip aside. Mace felt his foot brush the edge of a cloak, but that was all.

They went back and forth in the same vein for an indeterminate blur of time. Not a second passed without both of them staring death in the face, millimeters away, before some desperate parry or well-timed dodge bought them another scant few heartbeats. Any observer would have seen little beyond a blur of crimson and violet light, but this was a battle between a Jedi Master and a Sith Lord. They fought on more than just the material plane. With every blow, their wills collided in the Force. Dooku sought to cripple him with fear and doubt, to corrupt his resolve and muddle his reactions. In turn, Mace burned away at Dooku's corrupted Force connection with relentless light; stymying him at every turn and sapping his strength. The floor beneath their feet grew hot and cracked. Lights flickered and popped, while computer terminals burst into flames. What few insects and other small animals that hadn't already fled squeaked in psychic agony and died on the spot as their spirits broke beneath the weight of the two titans clashing. Though neither combatant could see it, the skies above the city darkened with clouds. Wind howled and lightning flashed as the battle in the Force bled into the physical world. On the edge of thought, Mace sensed Yoda leading a handful of other Masters in containing the effects of their duel. In some tiny corner of his mind, he was grateful. He couldn't spare the attention to do it himself, and an unshielded battle like this could disrupt the planet for hundreds of kilometers. Duels between Jedi and Sith had devastated whole worlds in the last Sith War. He couldn't afford to hold back even a drop, though. Not against Dooku.

As one minute turned into two and then three, Mace finally spotted his opening. The longer they fought, the more Dooku drew upon the Dark side for energy. It lent him greater speed and strength, but it also played against him. He'd designed Vaapad to harness his opponent's aggression, their anger, and turn it back on them tenfold. By channeling the Dark side, Dooku only added fuel to the inferno he was facing, and moment by moment, it was costing him. His parries and dodges succeeded by an ever narrowing margin. Mace pushed forward and drove him back away from the two unconscious Padawans. Dooku gave up the ground, but if he was unnerved, it didn't show. His face maintained the same haughty confidence it had the entire time.

"So, this is your infamous Vaapad?" Dooku said as he unleashed a counter-riposte that nearly took off Mace's hands at the wrist. "Impressive. Your Padawan used it to some effect earlier, but this display is truly worthy of a Jedi Master of your reputation, my old friend."

"The Sith are no match for the Jedi, Dooku," Mace said. He caught Dooku's saber in a blade lock and leaned forward, leveraging his greater strength and weight to force both blades towards the older man's face. "Surrender."

"I think not." With a pirouette that looked almost casual, Dooku broke the lock and put a few meters between them. "I've grown beyond the limitations of the Jedi."

Dooku raised a hand. The Force twisted and screeched with Dark power, and Mace had less than half a second's warning before a concentrated lance of Force lightning stabbed towards him. He just barely interposed his blade between himself and the deadly Sith magic. The hilt juddered in his hands as his crystal protested against the onslaught of cold, life-draining agony that threatened him. His face twisted in a grimace as he felt the awful perversion of the Force push against his defenses, but he was far from outmatched. He dove deeper into the mindset and techniques of Vaapad than ever before, and opened himself to the torrent of rage and fear that fueled the lightning. The darkness that lived in his soul, that he kept tightly leashed, welcomed the power like kin, and grew strong and fierce with the fuel. For a moment, he danced on the razor's edge between Light and Dark, walking the nigh-invisible line that defined Vaapad, before he seized the roiling storm of anger, both his and Dooku's, and sent it hurtling back at his opponent. It was a technique that went beyond tutaminis. Rather than acting as a mere conduit for redirecting energy, he was now a booster, an active contributor to the destruction he unleashed.

Said destruction took the form of a swirling mass of blue-black power, his own and Dooku's combined, that screamed through the air with a sound like a hurricane and melted the stone floor as it passed. It was a truly formidable attack, but Dooku was a truly formidable foe. With a deftness Mace had never seen in anyone outside of Fay and Yoda, he gathered the Dark side within him to a needle point and sent it straight into the heart of the approaching maelstrom. It struck right at the junction where all the energy knotted together and sliced it neat as could be. With a teeth-rattling boom, the deadly storm that should have blasted Dooku to dust split evenly in two. Both halves roared past the man and carved through the walls like cobwebs to vanish out of sight.

That wasn't all, though. Dooku followed on the heels of his own attack and leaped through the wake of the Force blast with his lightsaber already poised and ready. Mace set his stance, ready to once again turn the poisonous fire of the Dark side back on its wielder. However, when he parried Dooku's first thrust, he felt nothing. The anger and aggression he tried to redirect wasn't there. There was just cold, precise skill and deadly focus.

"A fine effort, Master Windu," Dooku said, while his blade danced back and forth like a fiery serpent, probing for an opening. "Deserving of a place in the Temple histories. But as I said, I have grown far beyond any mere Jedi."

The shock of not having any Darkness to grab onto left him off balance and nearly cost him his life. The red lightsaber drew a fine line across the front of his chest, scorching his tunic and leaving a shallow but painful burn in its wake. If he'd been even a millisecond slower, it would have carved through his lungs. He regained his focus before Dooku could manage anything more serious, but he'd lost the momentum. It was his turn to give ground, now, as Dooku kept up his assault with machine-like precision.

When he reached out with his senses, he realized what was happening. Dooku was still channeling the Dark side, but he was being clever about it. Rather than using it to fuel his attacks, he was restricting himself to burnishing his strength, speed, and endurance. His emotions were under an iron tight control, lending him just what he needed and no more. It was a feat of astonishing control and focus, and it left Mace with no surfeit of Darkness or aggression to turn against the former Jedi Master. Vaapad, his deadliest weapon against a Sith like Dooku, was useless.

Still, he was far from helpless. Vaapad may have been his deadliest weapon, but Mace had been a master of all seven forms long before he'd created the eighth. Training Naruto for the past three years had only sharpened those skills further. If Dooku wanted to match their skills against each other, he would oblige.

He fell back into Juyo, his preferred form when Vaapad wasn't practical. Its savage, unpredictable nature matched well against Dooku's more methodical style. He took full advantage of his greater strength and agility to weave around his opponent, forcing the older man to expend ever more energy just to stay facing him. Training Naruto had done wonders for his fitness as well as his skill, particularly his endurance. The boy's energy was virtually without limit, and Mace had been forced to increase his own training just to keep up. That came in useful now, especially as Dooku didn't dare use the Dark side more than he already was.

Even with that disadvantage, he remained a fearsome opponent. Robbed of much of his unnatural strength and speed, he fell back on pure technique, and it was a wonder to behold. With a casual flick of his wrist and a half-step to the right, he deflected Mace's powerful overhead slash and nearly sent him stumbling forward. Mace had expected the maneuver, though. With pinpoint timing, he faked a misstep and opened a hole in his guard. In the fraction of a second it took him to "recover", Dooku had already moved to his weaker side and was trying to stab him in the kidney. Mace parried it and seized hold of Dooku's wrist. He used the man's momentum against him and tugged him off balance as he brought his lightsaber up for a decapitating blow. Just for a moment, he thought he might manage it. However, in a display of flexibility that would have been the envy of many men sixty years his junior, Dooku bent almost ninety degrees straight back, allowing the blade to pass harmlessly a few centimeters over his nose. In the same motion, he grabbed Mace's robe, fell backwards, and used his feet to push Mace over him and into a roll across the ground. The whole exchange took less than three seconds, and he hadn't wasted a millimeter of movement. Even so, despite the frustration of his stymied attempt at a decisive blow, Mace felt encouraged. He could see the cracks forming in the man's collected exterior, the branching shatter points flitting about him in the Force like flies as his breath came just a little less evenly than it had before. He could see how to win. With renewed vigor, he rushed back into the fray.

Sure enough, as they dueled back and forth, sweat began to drip down the older man's face. His breaths came in sharp, desperate gasps. With every passing second, Mace took the upper hand. He landed a glancing kick to Dooku's sternum, eliciting a pained grunt, and his follow on strike scored a thin wound on the man's upper arm. Neither was debilitating, but they foretold things to come. More and more, Mace managed to harry Dooku with little nicks and bruises as he wore the man down. They were minor wounds, but they added up to a vicious conundrum. Did Dooku tap into the Dark side to replenish himself and risk facing the unholy storm of Mace's Vaapad, or did he forbear and face a battle of attrition against a younger, fresher foe? Mace readied himself for whatever tricks the Fallen Jedi might pull to gain an advantage. He was determined to end this here and now, if he possibly could.

Before long, Dooku once again jumped back to gain distance, though whether he meant to attack or flee, Mace didn't know. He wasn't interested in finding out, either. Dooku hadn't even landed before he was already flipping through hand signs. In less than a second, he channeled chakra, shaped it, and let it fly.

"Raiton: Rairyūdan no Jutsu."

With a sound like a billion angry hornets, a bolt of lightning twice as thick as a Hutt burst from his mouth. It shaped itself into the head and body of a dragon and charged right for the beleaguered Sith Lord. Mace knew from experience that chakra techniques weren't easy to absorb or redirect with the Force unless you knew what you were doing. The two energies were, technically, two aspects of the same thing, but the added physical energy of chakra made it difficult to manipulate for those who weren't familiar with it themselves. He could only pray Dooku hadn't somehow learned how to wield the shinobi arts in secret.

The Force was with him, as Dooku made no attempt to redirect the glowing dragon. Caught off balance and exhausted, all he could do was conjure a shield with the Force. The lightning dragon crashed against it, and the shield flared with a sickly red light as Dooku channeled more and more of the Dark side to keep the attack at bay. His face was screwed up in furious concentration, and his feet slowly but steadily slid back from the force of the jutsu, but he held firm.

Without cutting the chakra to his lightning dragon, Mace used a sealess shunshin to move behind Dooku. The old man sensed him in an instant, but the effort of maintaining the shield left him unable to move. All he could do was raise his saber in a last ditch defense, but Mace batted it aside with ease. With a dragon made of lightning ready to fry him to a crisp on one side and a violet lightsaber ready to carve him in two on the other, it should have been over. Mace doubted even he could find a way out of such a dilemma at such short notice. Dooku, however, still had a few tricks up his sleeve.

Just before Mace's blade could cleave his head from his shoulders, he opened his mouth and let out the most devastating, unholy scream Mace had ever heard. The Dark side exploded out of him in a wave so powerful it distorted the air. Chunks of stone tore from the ground and went hurtling against the walls with sharp cracks. Mace could feel the power battering away at his body and spirit both. Icy knives of malice and hate tore at his mental shields, while the shockwave hurtled him back against the wall with enough force to break ribs. Only an instinctual, desperate use of tutaminis to reinforce his frame kept him from splattering like an insect against a speeder window. The lightning dragon disintegrated in a shower of sparks as the concentrated power of the Dark side overwhelmed the chakra construct. It was an attack like none Mace had ever seen.

It only took him a second or two to regain his feet, but even once he had, his vision remained stubbornly black. The icy taint of the Dark side permeated the surrounding air, hanging like a noxious fume. 'A Force illusion,' he thought, and cursed himself for not realizing it immediately. With a flare of power, he tore through the delicate strands of Dark energy that sustained the enchantment, and the darkness faded like frost under a noonday sun. He could already tell it was too late, though. Sure enough, Dooku was gone. He couldn't even sense the Sith Lord anymore. No doubt he was using some Sith stealth technique to mask his presence in the Force while he made his escape. With a heavy sigh, Mace shut off his lightsaber and turned to limp back to the two Padawans.

Naruto was already conscious, which didn't surprise him. His Padawan had always been hardy, and the Kyuubi gave him a healing factor greater than any Jedi Master. Already, the gruesome burns that had marred his face and arms were starting to heal. Starting. Ugly weeping blisters, surrounded by cracked skin, still covered much of his exposed skin. The wound to his thigh would no doubt take longer to fully close, as would the cut on his elbow, but even with one leg and one arm, he was still able to crawl well enough. He had his medkit out and was tending to Anakin. Mace spotted an empty bacta spray and a whole heap of opened bandages.

"How is he?" He asked. When Naruto turned to look at him, his eyes were wide and a little frightened. Mace could feel his fear and stress over their bond, but he was keeping them under control for now. Having a clear task such as giving first aid was helping him stay focused, and Mace wanted to keep his mind on that as long as possible.

"I think he's stable," Naruto said. His voice was a whisper, tight and hoarse. "I stopped the bleeding, but…"

He gestured vaguely at the bandaged stump where Anakin's right arm had once been. It was a terrible wound, but not a fatal one. Mace allowed a surge of righteous anger to flow through him at the cruelty inherent in maiming someone in such a manner.

"Could the Healers save his arm?" Naruto's tone told him he already suspected the answer, but Mace still replied.

"Doubtful. Lightsabers leave too much tissue damage to reattach limbs. They can fit him for a replacement, though."

"Fuck," Naruto cursed, but his heart wasn't in it. When he really got going, Mace had heard his Padawan spew forth expletives and imprecations for minutes at a time without ever repeating himself. "I should have done more. He saved my life-"

"And you saved his." Mace cut him off before his thoughts could run too far down that road. "He would have bled out if not for you. Let us take what victories we can find for now. There is enough suffering already without us seeking out more for guilt's sake. Skywalker is resilient. He will recover, and you will be there to help him. Now, I have had enough of this place. We should rendezvous with the clones and then all three of us should find a Healer."

Naruto nodded and let out an explosive breath. Along with it went the accumulated stress and fear of the past day. With a grunt, Mace hauled him to his feet and wrapped his uninjured arm over his shoulder for support. He levitated Anakin as gently as he could with the Force, and together, they hobbled towards the exit. Neither of them said anything more. They could both feel it. The galaxy had just reached a tipping point. Mace could see the cracks of the shatterpoint spreading out beyond his vision, even beyond his Force senses. War had begun.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Omake 2: Take Two 4

The next crystal Barriss pried out of the wall was the pale green of sunlight streaming through newly budded leaves. Rather than round, this one was a perfect rhombus, with tips so sharp they pricked her fingers. At its core sat a tiny star of brighter green, like a star frozen in time. Unconsciously, she hummed along to its song; a bold, bright melody of wind in trees and water tumbling down a brook. It was flawless. Incomparable. She fell in love with it on the spot.

It crumbled to dust in her palm.

She gasped and tossed the handful of dust away. She'd expected it, but losing such perfect beauty still hurt. It was like someone had ripped a fishhook out of her heart. A few tears slipped down her cheeks before she found her balance again.

The next one, this time from a stalagmite, was a blue cylinder so pale she stared at it for over a minute before she realized it wasn't white. Like a piece of ice, it felt cool in the hand, yet its song was of unrivaled joy. A smile spread across her face to hear it. Nothing could dampen that happiness, that unbridled joy at just existing. This one had to be hers. It tugged at her heartstrings as nothing ever had.

It split in half when she turned it over. That glorious music vanished, leaving not even an echo in her mind. A whimper crept through her clenched teeth, but she shed no tears this time. Just let the shards slip through her numb fingers and moved on. If there was water on her cheeks, it was from the damp of the cave. Nothing more.

The next was violet, with a song of strength and endurance. It snapped in two when she picked it up. Then there was another green, darker this time, with veins of blue and a voice of patience and wisdom. It burst like a squeezed snowflake between her fingers. Another green, then a blue, a yellow, a purple, two more blues, even an orange. That one reminded her of Naruto, with its sunburst structure and brilliant warmth. It sang of storms and fire and freedom. She loved it, as she had all the others, but more for the memories it brought. Memories of those blue eyes filled with innocent happiness, of those times he'd helped her with engineering projects, of those absurd pranks he always used to pull. When it shattered, she sobbed.

On and on it went. Blue and green and yellow and every other color of the rainbow. Round crystals, diamond, cubic, pyramids, and a hundred other shapes she had no name for. Each one perfect in every way. She fell in love with them all despite herself. Even when she knew they would shatter, even when she knew they were just another test, she couldn't help it. They were all little shards of wonder. Any of them would have made a fine heart for the lightsaber she planned to build. Even the red, pyramidal crystal she plucked from the tip of a stalagmite. It glowed like fire, like blood and lava and life. Its song boomed with passion and fury, but she loved it. That scared her, but she loved it anyway. It was almost a relief when it cracked like hammered sugar, and yet it hurt so much she almost fell to her knees.

Each broken crystal, such silenced song, hurt worse than the last, until at last, she couldn't bear it anymore. Dozens of crystals dead in hands, and hundreds more still in the walls. Mocking her. With a scream of anger and grief and just pure emotion, she tossed the latest handful of broken splinters away and smashed the stalagmite in front of her to dust with the Force. The ancient rock crumbled before her power like chalk before rain. Another exploded, then another, then another. Solid stone that had weathered untold millions of years of ice and water was no match for her anger. The crack of breaking rock mingled with her screams to form a song of her own; one of rage and pain and frustration.

"Where is it?!" She screamed. "Stop torturing me! Where is it?! Give! It! To! Me!"

She punctuated each word by smashing another pillar of rock until there were none left. At last, she let out a heaving groan and crumpled to the ground, drained. Defeated. Without anger to burn it away, despair crept in and settled over her like a heavy blanket. It sucked the last bit of strength from her limbs, pinning her to the floor. Tears ran down her face once again and froze in a puddle on the ground. She watched the ice film over and solidify, and all the while a thousand stars glittered around her. She'd always loved looking at the stars, but these offered no comfort. They mocked her; a reminder of her failure. Still, she couldn't bring herself to leave them. Leaving them meant climbing out of this pit, going back to the others and admitting how pathetic she was. Admitting how, after Naruto had believed in her, after Master Unduli had believed in her, she'd come up short. She couldn't do that. She couldn't bear the looks of pity and disappointment they'd cast her way. Not yet. So she lay on the icy ground, surrounded by the not-stars, watching her tears freeze.

'Wait.' Something itched at the back of her brain. 'Stars. The climb.'

Her head jerked up off the ground as if on puppet strings. She looked up and saw the same distant twinkle of light coming from above at the top of the pit. Before, she'd dismissed it as just the last vestiges of light from the upper cave, but now she looked more closely. That didn't look like some glimmer of reflected light. It looked like-

'A star!' She'd climbed down way too far for any light to still reach her from the dim caves above. If she was seeing that little glimmer from all the way down here, there was only one thing it could be. 'That has to be my crystal.'

The leaden blanket of despair melted like fog under a summer sun, and she scrambled over to the wall so fast she tore the knees out of her pants and ripped her palms on the rocky floor. It stung in the cold, but she didn't care. She wiped the blood on her shirt and started the long climb out of the pit.

The walls hadn't gotten any easier to climb since she'd clambered down, and soon lines of fire ran along her forearms and shoulders. She washed them away as best she could with the Force, but it was hard to attain serene meditation when she was clinging by her fingertips above a hundred meter drop onto rock. Jedi Masters could survive falls from theoretically any height, so long as they were conscious when they landed. Exhausted rookie Padawans? Not so much.

In a way, she welcomed the pain. It distracted her from the snide whispers of doubt that still sidled through her thoughts. What if she was wrong? What if this crystal shattered like all the others? What if it wasn't a crystal at all? It could just be a patch of ice reflecting down into the pit. If she stopped now, if she just gave up, wouldn't that be better than enduring another disappointment?

The whispers were seductive, but they would have had to shout for her to hear them over the klaxon alarm of muscle fatigue. Every time she hauled herself up another dozen centimeters, every time she pulled her raw hands from the wall and they stuck from the blood freezing against the stone, the stab of pain forced her back into the moment. She was Barriss Offee, Jedi Padawan. She was on Ilum, looking for her kyber crystal, and she would not let herself lose to a bunch of rocks. So the voice whispered, and she climbed. Her arms screamed, and she climbed. That tiny star got ever so slowly closer, and she climbed.

Eventually (that was as accurate a measure of time as she thought existed in the caves), she realized she'd long since passed where the tunnel she'd come from should have been. There's been no trace of it, though. Just more ice-slicked rock. When she looked down, the pit below vanished into murky blackness. When she looked up, the star still shone above, but it was impossible to say how far. She kept climbing.

Another eventually later, she reached the top. Above her arched a dome of rock a dozen meters across, smooth except for a single stalactite hanging from the center. Its tip glowed blue, and she could hear the faintest strains of music in her head. There was just one problem. How to get to it. The stalactite looked smooth as polished glass, and she wasn't about to free climb upside down across the ceiling to reach it in any case. It was so close, practically within reach, but those few meters of open air may as well have been the void of space. Despair clawed at her thoughts, but that beautiful blue light burned it back.

'Not yet. I'm not giving up yet.'

She'd never been as comfortable with chakra as Ahsoka or the others, but now she pinned all her hopes on what Naruto and Jiraiya had taught her. There was no hesitation. She couldn't hesitate. That would be all the chance her doubts needed to wrap her in chains again. In one explosive motion, she jumped off the wall and into the void.

For a month, she hung in midair; nothing below her but a fatal drop, nothing supporting her but the illusion of weightlessness. She worked to fold the Force up in her body, wrapping it around and then into her cells, blending it with the vivid pulse of her own life energy. Not much of it, of course. She hated using too much chakra and cutting herself off completely. Just enough to coat her hands in a thin layer of energy. It felt like it took hours, and simultaneously no time at all. The slick, inverted spire of stone was just a few meters away. Closer now. Closer. Almost there…

Her fingers met the stalactite, and she almost gasped at how cold it felt. With chakra enhancing her senses, the frozen rock felt like plunging her hands into a bucket of needles. It was almost enough to make her lose concentration, and she felt herself slipping. She slid all the way to the very tip of the stalactite before she caught herself, once more hanging by a single hand over the void. She didn't swear this time, though. The sparkling glow of her crystal right in front of her eyes entranced her. With one hand anchoring her to the stalactite as securely as if she'd nailed herself there, she used the other to pry the crystal loose.

'Last chance,' the voice whispered. 'Just drop it. Don't let yourself go through the pain again. Better to never know.'

'Fuck off,' she growled at that part of herself, and, remarkably, it did. Still clinging to the stalactite, she held the crystal up to her face to get a better look.

Unlike every false crystal she'd found below, it wasn't perfect. Not even close. Far from a sliver of geometric perfection, it was an irregular lump a little smaller than her thumb. Roughly oblong, but with ripples and gouges and chips marring the surface, if it weren't for the glow telling her it was kyber she'd have dismissed it as a bit of shattered glass. The color was a deep ocean blue, with veins of white and black crisscrossing the surfaces. It beat in her hands like a heart, now fast, now slow. In her mind, she heard its song meander between cheerful and morose and almost violent, but always slightly odd. If it were an orchestra, she'd say there was an instrument out of tune, or someone playing in the wrong key. Whatever it was, she couldn't quite get a handle on the music. With the other crystals, she could have listened to them for days for their perfect beauty. This she could listen to for weeks just to find the flaw, find the pattern, just to understand it. Overall, it was nothing at all like any kyber crystal she'd read about, nor like any of the others she'd seen below. It was flawed. Imperfect. Maybe even ugly.

But it didn't shatter. She held it and it didn't shatter, and that brought tears of joy to her eyes. She hung by one hand, staring at the misshapen crystal, and wept for joy. No, this crystal wasn't perfect. It wasn't flawless. It wasn't necessarily beautiful. It was better than any of those things, though. It was hers.

When she finally looked down, she found the void beneath her feet had vanished. Rather than a fatal drop, she was hanging five meters or so off the ground. Far from the sheer sided pit she'd climbed down and then back up, there was a shallow bowl in the floor of the cave. Cautiously, she dropped, half expecting the floor to vanish. It didn't, though. It was solid. She landed with a grunt and almost slipped on a patch of ice. A familiar patch of ice. Her own puddle of tears, frozen solid where she'd left it. She looked at it, then at her strange crystal, then back at the tears. Eventually, she turned her back on the proof of her despair and set off down the tunnel towards where she could sense the others. She was done here.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

To everyone who's been asking when Naruto would face Dooku, I hope this was satisfying. It was certainly fun to write, and I tried to pull out all the stops. Plenty of you have been asking for Naruto to use more elemental ninjutsu, and I wanted to show off his and Anakin's teamwork, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to introduce collaborative ninjutsu. We never got to see them used to their full potential in canon, which I always thought was a shame.

For those of you wondering, the part of this chapter that predates the beginning of this story is the fight between Mace and Dooku. I know it mirrors canon a little more closely than I usually do, having a Master come in to fight Dooku after the other two failed, but this was too good an opportunity to pass up. Mace Windu vs. Dooku is one of the great unfought duels (so far) in Star Wars. Having given Mace such a central role in this story, there was no way I wouldn't have them fight at least once. Personally, I think the fight could go either way. Dooku is more controlled, more precise, and more experienced, but Mace is stronger, faster, and I think more powerful in the Force. Not by much, but enough.

Just as before, Barriss is still going through it in the cave. There is a deeper significance to the challenge she faced for her crystal; one aside from the lesson she was meant to learn. I'm curious to see if any of you can guess what it is.

If you have any comments, questions, complaints, riddles, or conspiratorial rantings you need to get off your chest, please leave a review. Your feedback helps me improve the content I give you. See you all later.