First, I have an announcement. A few hours ago, I posted the first chapter of my new story; Young Justice: Marauders. It's a Harry Potter/Young Justice crossover, so if you're at all interested in those fandoms, please go check it out. To be clear, this does not mean I am abandoning this story, nor am I putting it on hold. CJWO is still going strong, and it will remain my primary focus for now. I just have too many ideas for the other story to keep them in my head anymore.

Thanks to everyone who left a review last chapter. People really seemed to enjoy the fight scenes, which is very gratifying. I spent a long time working on them, and it's nice to have my hard work pay off. Heading forward, there will be two chapters, including this one, of interim content, and then it will be into the first arc of the Clone Wars show. Kudos to anyone who can guess which one is up first.

As always, please donate whatever you can afford to the people of Ukraine to help in their struggle against the ongoing Russian invasion. Every little bit helps, and the most important thing we can do is not forget them amidst all the other stuff going on in the world.

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Chapter 50

Darth Tyranus had to suck in air through gritted teeth as he ran up the ramp of his ship. Windu's final blow hadn't succeeded in killing him, but it had left its mark across his face. He could feel it like a line of fire in his flesh. The pain was indescribable, but pain was little obstacle to a Sith. Just as Sidious had taught him, he fed it into a furnace at the center of his mind and let it burn in the flames of the Dark side. Let it fuel those flames to new heights. He signaled the pilot droid to take off. The ship was small and stealthy. He's spent considerable money making it so. It should easily make it through whatever paltry orbital forces the Republic may have mustered. Sure enough, they made it out of the atmosphere and into hyperspace without so much as a shot across the bow.

Only once he had programmed in a course, complete with five randomly vectored hyperspace jumps, did he go to his small cabin and examine his injury. Like most lightsaber wounds, it looked gruesome. A scorched gash stretched from the outside corner of his left eye down across his lips and all the way to the tip of his chin. The skin around the wound was puckered and blackened. He could feel it pulling tight across his cheek. Still, it wasn't as bad as it looked. The gash was shallow. Just the very tip of Mace's blade must have caught him. Most importantly, he didn't think his eye was injured. There was only the aesthetic damage to contend with. Only advanced reconstructive surgery would save him from a permanent scar, but he dismissed the notion instantly. He was a warrior, and warriors bled. It was no shame, particularly considering his opponent. To walk away from a duel against Mace Windu with nothing but a scar on his face was a badge of honor. His medical droid dressed the wound, but he refused any analgesics. Pain would be his lesson for underestimating his opponents. It had ever been a flaw of his, and this was not the first scar he bore to mark such a mistake.

The journey to Serenno was a long one, even with the access the Hutts had granted him to the secret hyperlanes through their territory. Too long to leave certain affairs untended. First among them was his master. He gave himself an hour to meditate and center himself before he punched in the long series of passkeys, comm codes, and verification details needed to access the Sith comm network remotely. It took several minutes, but eventually, and sooner than he would have liked, Darth Sidious' hooded countenance appeared before him. He kneeled and bowed his head.

"My master," he said respectfully. That face was smiling beneath the shadowed cowl.

"Darth Tyranus. I see not even you escaped the Jedi uninjured."

Tyranus had to swallow a dozen biting retorts. They would buy him nothing but more pain. "Master Windu intercepted me before I could leave. We fought."

That should put an end to the needling, and indeed it did. Not even Darth Sidious would willingly enter a duel with Mace Windu. Not unless he had already rigged the outcome. That mouth, the only feature visible under the hood, twisted in a wry smile.

"I wish you well in your recovery. What news do you have, my friend?"

"The war has begun as expected, my lord. The Jedi have secured the city and will have the factory in hours if they do not already." He gave his report on the battle, giving special attention to Jiraiya's actions and the unexpected tactical acumen of the Jedi. All the while, his master's face remained impassive. Sometimes, he wondered if anyone had ever told Darth Sidious something he did not already know.

"Well done, my friend. And what is your assessment of Skywalker and Uzumaki now that you have witnessed their skills first hand?"

Tyranus almost started at the inclusion of Uzumaki in that question. Sidious couldn't possibly know about his plans for the boy. Could he? They were only a few hours old. No, he couldn't know. There were at least a dozen reasons he might be interested in Uzumaki. The boy was extraordinary, after all.

"Both are powerful," he said slowly. "Skywalker is stronger, but only by a small margin, and I believe much of that is his greater experience. I could not even speculate at their full potential, beyond that it is greater than any other I have seen. They work well as a team. Extremely well."

He described his fight with them in greater detail. Sidious did not react when he mentioned severing Skywalker's arm, but then, he hadn't expected him to. The man could hardly maintain his pretense that Skywalker was not to be his next apprentice if he showed special concern over his injuries. Nevertheless, Tyranus was sure he was furious, and it delighted him to no end that he could not show it. Sidious asked a number of questions about their chakra techniques, and they spent some time discussing potential avenues of research based on what he had witnessed. The elemental preferences each Padawan had displayed were of particular note.

"Was there any sign of the power Uzumaki displayed on Rago?"

There it was. The real reason Sidious had mentioned Uzumaki. "No, my lord." And thank the Force for that. Until he had a firm handle on the boy, he had no wish to see whatever had turned dozens of Mandalorians to mince on Rago. One day, he would discover what that power was, though. One day, when Uzumaki was his, he would loose that power against his master. One day.

Sidious rasping voice brought him back to the present. "This tactical skill from the Jedi is unfortunate, but not wholly unexpected. Jiraiya truly has had an impact on the Order."

"I could have him killed," Tyranus suggested. Personally, he didn't think it would be a good idea, but Sidious would expect him to offer.

"No. His changes are too well entrenched by now for his death to reverse them. For now, he is more valuable alive. While he lives, we may be sure of the Jedi's chief spymaster and strategist."

"Yes, my master."

"For now, we must sow terror in the Republic. Turn Grievous loose against them. Let the Senate see the horrors of war. Their fear will make them biddable. The weapon is ready?"

"It is." That brought a smile to Tyranus. The weapon Sidious spoke of would indeed spread terror.

"Then I leave the rest in your hands, Lord Tyranus. Do not fail."

With that, his image vanished. Tyranus sneered at the empty air where his master had been, and then immediately regretted it. Sneering tugged at his wound. He'd buried the pain while talking with Sidious, but now it returned with interest. Even so, it could not dampen his good humor. Spread terror? He could do that. The tiny voice in the back of his head that recoiled at the concept only spurned him on. That was the man he had once been. The weakling, too frightened and too wed to morality to do what had to be done. If that man rejected a course of action, it was all the more reason to pursue it. Spread terror? Yes, the weapon would spread terror. And not only that. He had the beginnings of another plan. One that might, just might, rid him of Skywalker. Even if it did not, the results were sure to be entertaining.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Fortunately for Mace, Naruto, and Anakin alike, finding a Healer did not take long. Rather, one found them in short order. Mace, it turned out, had carved quite a trail through the city in his rush to reach Naruto. A trail even a blind bantha could have followed. The battered group hadn't even made it 100 meters down the hall before a sprinting Barriss Offee nearly bowled them over.

"Oh, thank the Force I found you," she said breathlessly. Before anyone could ask her what she was doing there, Luminara, Jiraiya, and a dozen clones rounded the corner after her. Delta squad was among them, and she heard them mutter among themselves at the sight of the injured Jedi. She paid them no mind, though. All her focus was on her new patients. "I had a bad feeling. Something drew me down here."

"Padawan, I do not care if you have a full-blown premonition. You do not go sprinting ahead in a combat zone without even a word of warning." Luminara's voice and face were tight with worry, but Barriss didn't even acknowledge her words. Her eyes landed first on Naruto and then on Anakin, and medical training overrode anything else.

"Put them down," she ordered. If she'd been less focused, it would have amazed her when Mace Windu complied hastily. As it was, she barely gave him time to move out of the way before she pounced on the two injured Padawans. Anakin was her first priority. A faint blue glow surrounded her hand, and the air filled with a sense of peace and vitality. Slowly, very slowly, she removed the tourniquet from his stump.

"I've sealed off the blood vessels," she said eventually. Sweat beaded on her brow in contrast to the cool air of the hallway. "But he needs surgery to save as much tissue as possible. Contact a medevac ship and get a stretcher."

Behind her, two clones hopped to and started putting together two stretchers from their packs. Jiraiya was already on comms, calling for one of the LAAATs to meet them outside the city. She noticed none of it, though. A clone medic was tending to Mace, and her focus had already shifted to Naruto. Her hands trembled a little as she peeled away the charred remnants of his flak and tunic. The mesh armor beneath was mostly intact, but patches were torn or even melted. He gritted his teeth and swallowed a howl as she pulled the ruined metal away from his burned skin. In any other circumstance, she would have flayed herself alive rather than hurt him like this, but now it was necessary. Before revulsion or panic could grip her entirely, she released them into the Force. Serenity covered her like a cold blanket. The fear and horror at seeing her friend in such a state was still there, but it skated against the outside of her crystal focus. It may as well have belonged to someone else.

"Get me bacta!" She called out. Naruto slumped, panting, when she finally finished pulling away his top. Three bottles of the miracle substance landed next to her, and she slathered them over the worst of his burns.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but this is going to hurt," she said as she prepared to dress the hole in his leg. The Kyuubi must have already been at work, because the wound wasn't bleeding heavily, but it still needed immediate attention.

"It's fine," he said, but his voice was a weak whisper. When she looked at his face, it was pale and shiny with sweat. His eyes were staring glassily at something in the middle distance. "It's not… I ca' take…"

"Naruto? Naruto, can you hear me?" She snapped her fingers in front of his eyes, but he didn't even blink. When he spoke, his voice was slurred almost beyond understanding.

"I don'… don' wo'oy. 'M fiii…" His voice trailed off and his eyes rolled back into his skull. Barris lunged forward and pressed her hands against his head. A bright glow surrounded them.

"Hold him down!" She shouted. "He's going to seize."

Sure enough, just as Jiraiya and Fixer got hold of his arms and legs, he began to convulse. The clone commando went flying into a wall as his arm spasmed, and it took two on each arm to hold him still. Barriss moved out of their way, but her hands never left the side of his head. The glow continued unabated, but she was no longer aware of it, or indeed anything outside of herself and Naruto. At her command, the Force swept through his body, and she wanted to weep at all the damage she could feel. Whatever had been done to him, it had ravaged his nervous system and burned every organ in his body. Vile, icy cold energy recoiled from her touch. The Dark Side. Someone had attacked her friend with the Dark Side. Tortured him, if she was any judge. With an effort of will that left her panting, she forced his body into a healing trance. Instantly, the convulsions stopped.

"We need to get him to a proper Healer now," she said. "I can't heal this on my own. He's… it's not good."

"You heard her," Jiraiya said. "Let's move!"

Quickly, but carefully, they hoisted Naruto and Anakin onto stretchers and set off at a run. Jiriaya took point, face grim and lined with worry, while Luminara took up the rear with Mace and the other medic. Barriss kept pace with the stretchers, one glowing hand on Naruto's head the whole way.

"I am one with the Force and the Force is with me," she muttered over and over. "I am one with the Force and the Force is with me. I am one with the Force and the Force is with me."

No one, least of all her, could have said if it was a mantra, a plea, or a prayer.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Naruto woke up in the dark, lying in a pool of water. Light shove from above, though its source was unclear. When he sat up, the lack of pain threw him off balance. His body, which had been a mass of burns, was unmarked. Most people probably would have been grateful for the relief, or confused at waking in such an odd place. He just sighed and shook his head.

"So I guess we're doing this," he yelled. "Well, come on. What do you want?"

A voice like crumbling mountains drifted from the darkness. "You are an even greater fool than I thought, ningen."

"Don't start with me," Naruto snapped. "I thought we had a deal. I don't use your power and you don't try to escape. What was that back there? Telling me to give into my anger? What's the big idea, fuzzbutt? I thought you kept your word."

Two glowing coals the size of three men standing abreast lit up the darkness in front of him. Shadows receded to reveal gleaming teeth, orange fur, and nine thrashing tails. The Kyuubi looked at him with disdain. "Do not question my honor, insect. I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune, and the last star in the universe will be ten thousand years dead before I break my word. I did not try to escape. I sought to save your pathetic life."

Naruto paused and tried to reign in his initial indignation. That hadn't been the response he expected. "What do you mean? I thought you'd have wanted me dead. If I die, don't you go free?"

The fox snorted. "Your every word betrays your ignorance. If you die, I will be ejected from your corpse as a formless mass of chakra. It would take years for my mind and body to regenerate. During that time, any Jedi or Sith could harness my power. I would be utterly helpless." He sounded reluctant, as if speaking the words pained him. "I… do not know what sorcery these Sith wield, but even locked in here, my senses go far beyond yours. That Dooku was a twisted creature. He would not hesitate to use me up until there was nothing left. Any who would be his master must be worse by far. If I must be bound, it will not be to one such as they."

Naruto took a minute to process what he'd just heard. It seemed, once again, he'd come in with preconceptions, only to have the Kyuubi surprise him. Not wanting the Sith as his jailers was a pretty reasonable goal, and the fact he'd be so vulnerable after his "death", and for years, was important to know. If the Sith ever got their hands on a power like the Kyuubi, the whole galaxy would be at risk. Still, that didn't change one key point.

"Alright, that makes sense. But what's with telling me to use my anger? I've told you before, I'm never giving in to hatred. Never."

"Arrogant brat!" A paw the size of a yacht slammed against the bars. "Hatred is power! If you insist on fighting foes such as these, you will need every scrap of power you can find. Since you will not use mine, you must find the strength within yourself. I will not be made a slave of madmen because you are too weak to use your hatred."

"Is that what you think?" Naruto scoffed. "That refusing to use my anger makes me weak? That I'd be stronger if I gave in to it. What sort of backwards nerfshit is that? Hatred and anger aren't strength. They're poison. They weaken and destroy whatever they infect. Just look at you."

As it always did, the Kyuubi's furious roar hit him like a bomb blast. It had long ago lost its ability to intimidate him, though. He faced it head on and let it wash over him. His hair rippled in the wind, but aside from that, he may as well have been a mountain in a thunderstorm. If the Fox was impressed, though, he didn't show it.

"You would call me weak. Me! I am the mightiest of the bijuu. My coming is the coming of death. I am-"

"A prisoner," Naruto finished. "You're a prisoner."

"I am only a prisoner because you-"

"I'm not talking about the seal," Naruto interrupted again. The fox snarled at him, but he kept on talking anyway. "You're a prisoner of your hatred. It controls you. You could be so much more than just the angry monster I have to keep people safe from. Maybe you used to be. But so long as you let your anger and bitterness define you, you'll never grow. You'll never change. And sooner or later, all that anger won't be enough."

The Kyuubi's teeth gleamed like ivory pillars as he bared his fangs, but Naruto didn't give him a chance to speak. "I won't be like that. Not ever. I have plenty of anger, but I won't be a slave to it. Not even if it costs me my life. Because I'd rather die than stop being myself. If the only thing that can save my life is giving in to hatred, then my life isn't worth saving. Besides, anger doesn't offer power. Not really. Not anymore than death sticks offer happiness. I fight because I love my friends and I want to protect them. That's real power."

As he spoke, he walked towards the bars. Though he couldn't see it, with every step, his power filled the room around him. A storm of orange and gold fire, too vast to see with the eye, swirled and danced through the imaginary space of his mindscape. Rust boiled off the metal pipes running along the walls, and cracks sealed themselves under the pressure of his presence. He kept walking, heedless of the hurricane surrounding him, until he stood a hair's breadth from the bars.

"I know you don't understand this right now, but I'll make you another promise. One day, I'm going to get you to let go of that hate inside you. I'm going to be your friend. Trust me. Things are better without hatred eating you up inside. And thank you for trying to save my life. No matter what you say, I don't think you were doing it just out of selfishness."

The Kyuubi reared back to strike at the bars, but before those mighty jaws could even brush the massive pillars of steel, Naruto was gone.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Naruto's journey back to true consciousness was more abrupt than usual, but he'd thought it prudent to make a hasty exit before he antagonized the fox beyond reason. His mind slammed back into his body and he sat up with a shout. At first, his vision was too blurry to make out where he was, but he felt his lightsaber nearby. In an instant, it was in his hand. He couldn't feel any danger nearby, though, so he left it cold. As he paused to properly assess his situation, he sensed… friends. Rather shocked friends. He took a calming breath and mentally shifted out of fight mode. His heart rate slowed, the adrenaline left his blood… and a thousand howling agonies made themselves known. Lines of searing pain spidered across his skin. His leg was on fire. With a pained gasp, he fell back.

"I told you he would move," a familiar voice said. It sounded as if it was coming over a speaker. "He always moves. He's quite the worst patient I've ever had. Did you know, after Rago, when he woke up, he tried to run out of the room and wound up flat on his face?"

"I can believe it, Master." He definitely knew that voice. Only one girl he knew had that mixture of serenity, self-possession, and wearied humor.

"B-Barriss?" His own voice was a reedy croak. His throat was a desert, his tongue a slab of jerky. Some asshat had filled his lungs with acid and sand. A slim, familiar hand laid itself across his forehead. It felt like a cool cloth over hot coals. Every inch of him had been scoured with coarse grit, charred over an open flame, and then coated in glue. "Wha-"

"Shhh," Barriss' voice said from above him. "Don't try to talk. You damaged your vocal chords. And every other part of you. Give me a moment."

A blue glow filled his still-blurry vision, and the icy tingle of Force Healing washed over his mouth and throat. He tried to mumble a thanks, but one of those slender fingers tapped threateningly on his ear when he opened his mouth.

"I said don't talk yet. You really are a terrible patient."

"You'll listen to her if you know what's good for you, Naruto Uzumaki. She's my best student. It's thanks to her you're not in a coma right now." There was that familiar voice, still filtered through a speaker for some reason. It took his sluggish brain a few seconds to spool up, but eventually a name floated out of the mire.

"Bant? Is that- oww!" That warning finger had become two, working together to give his ear a hard twist.

"I said be quiet," Barriss hissed. He could feel her annoyance as a gritty film over a tumultuous sea of worry, grief, horror, and a dozen other emotions too tangled up even for his senses. "I swear I'd sedate you if we had anything that would actually work on you."

"There's a paralytic in that drawer that might keep him down for a few minutes," Bant said. "It's derived from the secretions of juvenile Rathtars."

Naruto made every effort to display his intention to remain silent. Bant hadn't mentioned exactly what said creatures had been secreting, or from where, and he wasn't eager for a firsthand lesson.

"There you go. That's how you handle Naruto, Barriss. Honestly, he's even worse than Obi-Wan."

Naruto felt an odd swell of pride at that. Obi-Wan was a notoriously poor patient, and if he was worse even than him, then his personal mission to avoid hospitals and doctors as much as possible was clearly going well. Obviously, it hadn't quite worked out this time, but every plan had its setbacks. Besides, beneath the exasperation in Bant's voice, he could hear a well of fondness. She would hound him and Obi-Wan to the ends of the galaxy with a roll of bandages and a bacta spray, but only because she liked them.

It took a few minutes, but eventually, the blue glow disappeared. His vision had finally cleared up, and he could make out Barriss' face above him. She looked exhausted. Her skin was pale, her cheeks hollow, and her eyes bright and almost feverish. When he turned to look around, he saw why Bant's voice had come through a speaker. She was in a water tank in the corner of the medbay. Roughly the size of a bacta tank, the water tank had a speaker system on the side so the occupant could speak to any air breathers in the area. As a Mon Calamari, Bant had to submerge at least once a day to stay alive. More often if she was under strain. As a Healer, he imagined she was under a lot of strain after that battle.

On his other side was Anakin. His brother didn't look too bad, aside from the short stump where his right arm had once been. Naruto's stomach turned at the sight, but he wouldn't give in to nausea. Aside from the missing limb, though, Anakin looked healthy enough. He was obviously fast asleep. Naruto thought he could sense a bit of the blunt grayness that always accompanied sedatives, but mostly he was just asleep.

"You can talk, now. But don't yell." Now that he thought about it, Barriss sounded even more exhausted than she looked. He could feel it in her emotions. She wasn't quite ready to drop, but she wasn't far off, either. No doubt she'd been working just as hard as Bant to keep the wounded from dying.

More gently this time, he leveraged himself into a sitting position. The bed automatically adjusted, and Barriss kept a hand on his back in case he fell back. Or possibly to yank him back down if he made a run for it. It wouldn't have been the first time he made a mad dash out of a hospital. Three things stopped him now. One, he was in no condition for walking, let alone running. Even he could admit that. There was still a hole in his leg, for Force's sake. Two, he was naked. Not exposed, thankfully, though his initial jerky awakening had nearly given Bant and Barriss a free show, but beneath his thin sheets he wasn't wearing a stitch aside from his mask (and how that had survived he had no idea). Third, and most effective, was the look on Barriss' face when she looked at his injuries. She'd always hated violence, hated people she loved getting hurt, hated that anyone could be so brutal to another sentient. It pained her to see him injured, and he wasn't about to hurt his friend even more by refusing her treatment. Healing the wounded was her way of fighting the good fight just as much as wielding a lightsaber was his. In some ways, he was jealous.

"What happened?" He asked. "I thought I was okay. Why'd I pass out?"

Barriss glanced over at Bant, who asked a question of her own. "When Dooku hit you with Force Lightning, did you try to absorb it with tutaminis?"

He nodded, and Bant fluttered her gills. "That explains it. You cannot be so cavalier with Dark Side techniques as you can with blaster bolts. When you tried to absorb Dooku's attack, you didn't channel it carefully enough. Some of it wound up stuck in your body. If you were any less durable, it would have killed you. As it is, Barriss here is the only reason you're not comatose right now."

He winced and looked at Barriss. Her eyes were- distant wasn't the right word. Glazed? Tired? No. Haunted. Her eyes were haunted and her hands shook. From her, that was the equivalent of a full-blown, screaming panic attack. Part of him longed to pull her into a hug and offer comfort that way, but he couldn't. Aside from his injuries keeping him immobile, Barriss wasn't one to welcome physical comfort. Not at times like this. Later, when she had better control of herself, he'd sit next to her and let her lecture him on medical techniques until she leaned on his shoulder and let herself sleep. For now, all he could offer was words.

"Geez, Barriss. You look worried or something." He tried for a grin, but thought turned out more of a snarl. His muscles weren't all back in line yet. She huffed and gave him a gimlet stare.

"You are in no position to be making jokes," she said. "Fighting Dooku? Are you insane? Why didn't you just run? You'd think the two of you had sought him out deliberately."

"Well, ummm…" He knew he was being sheepish and wouldn't meet her eyes. For a moment, the pieces didn't connect, but when they did, her jaw dropped. Any semblance of serenity shattered. He could feel it go like a house of cards. The horror and fear all rushed in, and even secondhand, they turned his stomach to hollow lead and his hands to wood. He could only imagine how she must feel.

"You really are insane," she whispered. Her voice had gone beyond emotion, into a sort of hollow tonelessness that made him cringe. Before he could answer, and dig himself deeper, she cut him off. "Naruto Uzumaki, you are an idiot. A nerf-herding, space-brained, moron."

"Everybody knows that," he said with a wince as she smeared more bacta over the wound on his leg. She glared at him and he shut up.

"I- you…" She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "I'm telling Ahsoka about this."

His face lost what little color it already had. "Oh, come on! That's going a bit far, isn't it?"

She glared at him some more. "What were you thinking? Going after Dooku? A Sith Lord? Just you and Anakin? That was… it was… What were you thinking?"

"I would like to know that as well," said a new voice. Naruto snapped his head around, ignoring the way it made his burns shriek. Mace was in the doorway. He'd been so caught up in trying to calm Barriss he hadn't even noticed his master's approach. Barriss was taken just as off guard. She let out a squeak and tried to bow from where she was sitting. Mace looked stern, but Naruto couldn't contain his excitement at finally seeing someone who could answer his questions.

"Master! You're alright. Do you know what happened to Padmé and Obi-Wan and Delta squad? What about the battle? And Jiraiya-sensei? And-"

Mace held up a hand for silence, and years of training kicked in immediately. Naruto's mouth clicked shut beneath his mask. The questions still burned inside him, though. If he hadn't been in such rough shape, he'd have been bouncing on the spot.

"I will have my explanation first, Padawan. You have grown far better at not letting your impulses rule you, so I will give you a chance to tell your side," Mace said. What went unsaid, but certainly not unheard, was that it had better be a damn good explanation. The older man had no tolerance for idiocy. Naruto summed up the events leading up to their confrontation with Dooku as fast as he could.

"We knew we couldn't beat him," he said. "But we thought we could at least delay him long enough for backup to arrive. I could feel you in the city, so I knew it couldn't be too long. And it worked, too. You got there just in time."

"Just in time to find Skywalker missing an arm and Dooku torturing you with Force Lightning," Mace said flatly. "But yes, aside from those minor details, your plan worked flawlessly."

Naruto ground his teeth. "I couldn't just do nothing."

Their eyes met, and crystal blue struck sparks against dark onyx. Mace was as intimidating as ever, but Naruto set his jaw and refused to look away. He just refused to. Not when he was right. Eventually, that durasteel frown softened just a hair.

"I know." A dark-skinned hand gently squeezed his shoulder. "I know. There were better plans you might have made, but that is no longer relevant. I am sorry I came off as disapproving. What you and Skywalker did was brave, and it did nearly succeed. But seeing you like that scared me, Naruto. How little you value your own life scares me. You are a hero in every sense of the word, my Padawan, but do not forget you are not immortal. Please, have a care with your life in the future. There are many of us who would hate to see it cut short."

Naruto gaped at his master. Mace wasn't as taciturn as, say, Galdos, but he was hardly one for heartfelt speeches. Outside of lectures, he'd rarely spoken so many words in one go. Even so, Naruto could sense the sincerity behind every word.

"I- I'll do better," he said. "I promise."

Barriss patted him gently on the head, probably because it was the only place she could see that wasn't covered in burns. Possibly, she was being condescending, but he deserved it. He could feel relief and gratitude in both of them, and in Bant as well. In a way, he was grateful, too. Grateful there wasn't any doubt that he'd keep his word. They all knew the worth of his promises.

"I appreciate that, Padawan. As for your questions, Padmé, Obi-Wan, and Delta squad are all alive. Obi-Wan is injured, but stable, and the others were fine the last time I saw them. The commandos are still on Geonosis, though, along with Master Yoda, Jiraiya, and the rest of the task force. They did ask that I give you this, though." Mace handed him a piece of black cloth wrapped around something hard. "They said you had earned it, and if I understand what it means, I agree with them."

Naruto unwrapped the cloth to reveal a Konoha headband. His headband, in fact, though the cloth was new. He liked the black, though. The old blue had been getting a little frayed. That wasn't what really caught his attention, though. On either side of the leaf symbol were two painted designs. Sharply swept, pointed arcs, with a small mark on the inside edge, done up in black paint. They were obviously a rush job, smudged and uneven, but he recognized the design in an instant. Several of the Cuy'val Dar had worn them on their helmets, and Kal Skirata had explained what they meant.

"Jai'galaara'la sur'haii'se," he whispered. Jaig eyes. A Mandalorian award for valor in combat. One of their highest and rarest awards, according to Skirata. He swallowed hard at the sight of them. He would have to etch them into the metal properly as soon as he could.

Before he could ask any of the thousand questions that had built up in him like water behind a dam, he felt Anakin's mind shift out of sleep. The older Padawan groaned blearily, but not even a healthy dose of sedatives could keep a Jedi down for long. Barriss moved to check on him as he came back to reality. He didn't seem to notice her checking his vitals as he sat up, though. His eyes, still a bit glassy, roamed the room until they locked onto Mace and Naruto.

"Are Padmé and Obi-Wan alright?" He asked. They both looked at him, unsure of what to say.

"What? Why are you looking at me like-" At that point, he must have tried to move his arm. His right arm. He looked down at the heavily bandaged stump and swallowed hard. "Oh. Right. I was hoping that part had been a dream."

Then his eyes rolled back into his head, and he passed out.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"What's up?" The hologram of Jiraiya asked. His image flickered for a moment before stabilizing, though the quality still wasn't great. "Sorry about the connection. The droids are trying to push us back, so we're taking a lot of fire."

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked before he could stop himself. Jiraiya just grinned.

"Of course. It'll take a lot more than some cheap rockets to take me down. Now, what do you need? Advice? Wisdom? The inspiration my mere presence can offer?"

Naruto snorted. "Maybe offer it to the clones. They haven't figured out how full of it you are, yet."

Jiraiya gasped in mock outrage, before the smile faded from his face and he grew serious.

"Talk to me, Naruto. I can't help if you don't talk."

Naruto sighed and glanced over his shoulder to where Anakin was still sedated in bed. Bant had decided to keep him under until they were closer to the Temple. "I just… needed to make sure you were okay. I know you can take of yourself and you're a badass and whatever, but- I just needed to know? Does that make sense?"

"Of course it does." Jiraiya paused for a moment to shout something behind him before continuing. "You did a brave thing. You and Anakin both. It nearly ended the war on day one. But I'm betting it was also pretty scary to see him get hurt?"

Naruto just nodded.

"That's natural. It's good. It means you care for your companions. That's a sign of leadership. But you can't let it rule you. What have I taught you about fear?"

"'If you're afraid, do something about it,'" he quoted.

"Good. So, what are you going to do?"

Naruto frowned for a moment before nodding to himself. "I'm going to get stronger. A lot stronger. Then I'm going to kick Dooku's ass."

Jiraiya smirked. "Then what are you still talking to me for? Get to work."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Omake 2: Take Two 5

Naruto watched as the last of them vanished into the caves and chuckled. They'd certainly moved quickly once he'd mentioned staying in the caves overnight. Of course, if they knew what sort of challenges they would face down in the cave, he doubted they would have been so eager. Something told him his friends' trials would be even harder than normal. Talking about Viir had helped, but nothing could change the fact they'd all seen far more than most Initiates who came to Ilum.

"May the Force be with you all," he murmured. "Stay strong, and I'll see you soon. I believe in you."

Once the last echo of hurried footsteps had finally faded, he settled onto the floor to wait. His first time, he had been too inexperienced to safely wander the currents of the Force that flowed about the planet. They'd threatened to drown him at the slightest touch. Now, with years of growth and training at his back, he immersed himself in the splendor of the Force. It was like swimming in a fast-flowing river without sight of shore; dangerous, but invigorating. The air's cold bite, his worry for his friends, the problems facing the galaxy; everything faded into the background. He followed the Force as it spun through the winds outside, rode it through the sky and above the clouds. He was that wind. He was those clouds. He was every snowflake and every gust that blew them; every mountain and all the water trickling through their hearts. Once, Jiraiya had despaired of him ever learning to sit still, but for this? For this, he could sit motionless for days.

It wasn't to be days this time, though. It wasn't even hours. Just a few handfuls of minutes after he started meditating, his mind brushed against another presence, and he smiled.

"It's warmer over here, Master Yoda."

A chuckle came from above him, and he looked up. Crouched on the shoulder of one of the massive statues on either side of the dais, was a short, hooded figure. The shadows obscured its face, but even if he hadn't already sensed the old Grandmaster, that laugh would have given him away for sure. He scooted to one side, leaving room in the small circle of light, and the figure jumped down, turned a complicated, twisting double flip in midair, and landed with a roll that placed him exactly where Naruto had indicated.

"Kind of you it is to have a care for my old bones," Yoda said. "Tolerate the cold well, the elderly do not."

Naruto snorted and didn't deign to respond. No one was allowed to complain about old bones after that display of acrobatics. As for the cold, Yoda had been there at least half-an-hour before he'd sensed him. The cold certainly hadn't bothered him enough to come into the light. Or to bundle up, he thought, noting the Grandmaster's distinct lack of a parka.

"No words?" The old troll's gimer stick bounced off his ribs. "Coming to an end, the galaxy must be, if nothing to say you have."

He gaped at the teasing. "Hey, hey, hey! What're you saying? I can be quiet. Sometimes."

Yoda just cackled and said nothing. Very loudly. Naruto sighed and gave it up as a bad job.

"Are you here to make sure everyone makes it this time?" Try as he might, he couldn't keep a tinge of bitterness out of his words. He didn't even know what he felt bitter over. Yoda thinking he needed a silent escort? Viir's death? His own lingering guilt over what had happened?

If Yoda noticed his poor manners, he didn't comment. Instead, he stared down the mouth of the tunnel as he spoke. "Not here for them, I am, but for you."

"We thought you might appreciate a little support." Naruto almost toppled over in surprise. He knew that voice, even though he hadn't sensed anything.

"Jiraiya-sensei! You're here too?"

The air shimmered next to him, and then Jiraiya appeared as if by magic. "Of course, kid. Like I said, we thought you could use someone to talk to."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "And scaring the shit out of me was part of that?"

"Nah. That was just for fun. And to remind you, I've still got plenty to teach, so you'd better not go getting cocky." Jiraiya grinned and bumped his shoulder. "Looks like we didn't need to come after all, though. I'd say you've got things pretty well handled."

"Mmrrrhm, indeed. Spoke to Professor Huyang we did." Yoda turned from the tunnel to meet his gaze. "A great thing you have done, Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto frowned, unsure what he was talking about. "Do you mean getting them to open up about Viir? That was- I was just letting them decompress. It wasn't-"

"Brought balance where there was strife, you did," Yoda interrupted. "Comfort where there was pain. Healing where there were wounds. The size of a planet must a problem be, for it's solution to be a great thing? No. The work of a Jedi you did. Proud of you, I am."

"We're both proud of you," Jiraiya put in before he could say anything. "And you should be proud of yourself, too."

Naruto tried for a smile, but even beneath his mask he didn't think it looked convincing. "I… suppose. They're still going to have a hard time in the cave. I didn't want them to go in there with so much holding them down, but…"

"There's only so much anyone can do," Jiraiya said. "And sometimes there's no making things right, or even good. Just better than before. They-" he gesture towards the tunnel "-are training to be Jedi. They're about to be Padawans, just like you. You can't protect them from everything the universe'll throw at 'em. You did your bit. Now it's time for them to do theirs."

Naruto sighed and slumped back. "Yeah… yeah."

They sat like that, in a row, watching the tunnel in silence for a long stretch. The only sound was the distant howl of wind outside and the slow, relentless crackle of the ice door reforming as the sun dipped lower. It was a heavy silence, but comfortable despite it. They just sat and existed, and for a while, that was enough. Eventually, though, Yoda broke the silence.

"Remember the first time I saw Viir, I do. Left her in the drop box, her parents did. My turn on duty it was."

Naruto felt his eyebrows climb into his hair. The drop box was the only name ever given to the set of sheltered incubators along the side of the Temple where parents could leave unwanted infants. Every Jedi, from the Grandmaster down to the newest Padawan, took a turn on duty at the drop box, ready to take any younglings left there into the safety of the Temple. He'd sat at the monitoring station twice himself, though no one had left any younglings on his shifts. Most of those dropped off were given a comprehensive medical exam, treated for any ailments they might have, and then passed along to various trusted foster agencies throughout the Republic. Some, though, were Force sensitive. Many beings feared Force sensitivity in their children, either out of superstition or jealousy. Even those who weren't so closed minded often found themselves unable to handle the additional strain of raising a child whose tantrums could shatter windows and whose nightmares could run rampant through the minds of those around them. Those children were taken in and raised in the Temple as Initiates.

"I knew she came to the Temple young, but not like that," he said. Yoda nodded sadly.

"Very small she was, and very loud. Even then, obvious her power was. Fell asleep she did while I carried her to the Halls of Healing." He paused and chuckled. "Ruined my robes she did with her drool."

Naruto laughed at the image and laughed harder at the thought of Viir's face if she could have heard the story. She'd have gotten all wide eyed and blotchy, as if unsure whether to blush or pale. When he teased her about it later, she'd have whined and stomped her foot and refused to look at him until he bribed her with muja juice. Strangely, the memory didn't hurt as much as he expected.

"I remember when you roped her into helping you prank me," Jiraiya said. "I heard something scrabbling in my vents and I thought you'd sent another mouse droid to leave stink bombs in my bed. I got up to check, and then she burst out of the vent, hollering like a banshee with a dozen paint balloons clipped to her tunic. Half of them had already popped, and she looked like a multicolored swamp monster. Just about gave me a heart attack. I couldn't even dodge when she threw the rest of the balloons at my face."

This time, Naruto actually fell over from laughing so hard. "I didn't put her up to that. She came up with the idea all on her own. I was teaching her about traps and she decided to prove she'd been paying attention. She was so embarrassed when I had to hose her off in the maintenance bay to get the paint out of her hair."

Jiraiya and Yoda both joined him in laughing. For the next few hours they swapped stories about his sister, from the time Yoda had caught her trying to keep baby birds in the crèche playroom to when she'd built her first ever motor to the time Jiraiya had found a box of cookies she'd left him as a gift for his birthday.

Eventually, Naruto sensed the first of his friends making their way back from the cave. Yoda and Jiraiya obviously sensed it too, because they both stood.

"Leave you to your duties, we will," Yoda said. "Done well so far you have. Do well in the future, I believe you will."

"So long, brat," Jiraiya said as he ruffled his hair. "Like I said, I'm proud of you. I know if they were here, Kakashi, Tsunade, and your parents would all be proud of you, too."

Naruto bowed, trying not to let the sudden stinging in his eyes show. "Thank you, sensei. Thank you, Master."

Then they were gone. For a moment, there was silence. Then the first echoes of voices reached him, and he turned to greet whoever was returning first with their crystal.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

And that is chapter 50. I know I sound like a broken record, but I seriously never thought I'd get so far in this story when I first started out. It's largely thanks to all of your support that I've gotten this far and grown so much as an author. Please leave any questions, comments, or criticisms you have in a review. Thank you and I'll see you next time. Except not really, because this is the internet.