AN: Inspiration strikes! Here I am once again, ladies and gentlemen, with the next chapter! Nothing too major happens in this one, as it's more of a setup for what's about to happen, so be forewarned. Also, another fair warning, there's a mini-lime near the end!

Chapter 6: Knights and Children

"Are we ready, Lieutenant?" Asked Revan through her mask, her voice modulated back into its male tone.

"Yes, Commander." The Comms officer of the Resolute saluted. "The entire fleet's listening."

As she took in a breath, she noticed Alek and Naruto, who were flanking her left and right respectively give encouraging nods, spurring her on to give probably the second hardest order she'd ever have to give.

"Soldiers of the Republic and my fellow Jedi…" She began. "Let me first say that it has been a distinct pleasure to serve beside you all and that I thank you for your continued loyalty and belief in my leadership." She paused to glance over her shoulder to find Ino beaming with pride at being her Padawan, though the girl was more than ready to be knighted herself. "It is because I have been moved by said loyalty that I must ask the impossible of you all once again: Wait for us."

She, Alek and Naruto could feel the wave of confusion roll through the fleet and it was almost enough to make them flinch, almost. "There is something that Alek, Naruto and myself must do alone. It is highly classified and very, very dangerous and I ask that no one inquire further on our task; I ask that you continue to place your trust in us and believe in your Generals."

"To the crew of my flagship, the Leviathan…" Alek spoke over the comms after Revan had stepped down. "Until further notice, my Padawan Bandon will be in charge. Follow his orders to the letter and do not misplace my faith in all of you."

"To the crew of my flagship, the Paladin…" Naruto spoke after a nod from Alek. "Riza, my Padawan, you're to take command until I return." He paused for a smirk that he knew Riza would feel through the Force. "Try not to crash my ship, keep our boys in line and by the Force, keep up with your training!" Proud enough that he had just embarrassed his own Padawan in front of the entire fleet by sounding like a nagging parent, Naruto stifled a snicker as he allowed his Commander and Master to take the comm again.

"And to the crew of my flagship, the Resolute…" Again, Revan took in a calming breath before smiling beneath her mask. "Padawan Ino Yamanaka, step forward.

Confused at the whole situation, Ino did as she was bid with raised eyebrows. "Yes, Master?" She questioned, trepidation lacing her words.

"Kneel."

That one word from her Master put everything into perspective immediately. She kneeled and bowed her head, now knowing what was coming. Naruto, as well as Alek looked upon the girl with pride; Alek for rightly recognizing her potential from the word go and Naruto for seeing the girl who had very quickly become a best friend to him after Sakura's death and the departure of Shikamaru and Hinata, finally getting what she deserved. That feeling was quelled somewhat when Revan motioned him forward.

"She may be my Padawan, Naruto, but she was your friend long before that." She explained. "The honor should be yours."

With a stunned hesitation, Naruto stepped forward towards his still knelt friend, barely succeeding in not fumbling his lightsaber, yet with the weapon now in a firm grasp and the reality of what was happening settling in, he nodded, mostly to himself and confidently ignited his blade, the snap-hiss reverberating throughout the bridge.

"Padawan Ino Yamanaka, I, Naruto Uzumaki, Jedi General of the Jedi Order…" He paused once again for another smirk and for added dramatic effect before he hovered his orange blade over one of her shoulders. "Pronounce you Knight of the Order." He finished as his blade hovered over her other shoulder. "Rise."

With an immense pride and sense of self-accomplishment welling up inside her chest, Ino rose, now practically radiating as applause filled the Comms channel and the bridge as a whole, the confusion temporarily forgotten, yet returned somewhat subdued when the Commander spoke once again.

"Ino, I leave you in charge of the Resolute in my stead." Said Revan. "And I entrust the whole of the fleet to you as well. Until I return, you are the Commander."

"I will not fail you, Master!" Ino declared, a proverbial fire lit within her eyes.

"Now, we shall be leaving in a few hours." Spoke the Commander. "I want a shuttle prepared for us, fully fueled and stocked with a list of supplies that I shall be providing to my ship's quartermaster. I repeat again: What your Generals and I are about to do is highly classified and I am ordering the fleet to not follow us." She paused for a final breath. "We will either return or we won't. It's up to the will of the Force now. Revan out."

"I'm going to get some rest while I still can." Naruto bowed to his Master as he turned on a heel.

"I'll be following my young friend's lead on this one." Sighed Alek as he followed Naruto out.

"Be sure to get as much as you can." Revan called after them. "Force only knows what we'll be encountering on this journey."

"M-Master?" Ino spoke. "I know you said not to ask, but…"

"Trust in us, Ino." Revan cut her former Padawan short. "Trust that what we're doing is for the best, please."

"O-Of course." She bowed her head. "As you say, Master."

(With Naruto: Moments later)

'What will we face there, I wonder…?' Naruto mused to himself as he shrugged himself out of what remained of the top half of his Jedi garb. He was currently occupying one of the private quarters that Revan had set aside for him and Alek, as she needed them both on the Resolute with her so they could all three leave once their shuttle had been prepared. As he sat on the bed to rid himself of his boots, his door alert went off.

"Come in." He said after taking his boots off, feeling just who was on the other side of the door.

As the automatic door opened, in stepped Ino, who had the decency to lightly blush at his naked torso. The doors then closed behind her and she placed her hands on her hips. "So?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"So… what?"" Naruto's eyebrow also rose as he stared at her.

"Why are you, Alek and Revan leaving?"

"Revan said to not ask us…" He groaned with a roll of his eyes. "So please, don't put me in a difficult position here."

"In case you forgot, I'm the stand-in Commander of the fleet until you all return." She huffed indignantly. "When questions are eventually asked, and those questions are funneled up the chain of command directly to me, what am I supposed to do? Make up some bullshit on the spot, or make up some better reasoned bullshit because I have something to base said bullshit off of?"

"Goddamn it…" He groaned once again, this time pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fine…" He let out a heavy sigh. "Sit down, this is gonna take a while."

And so Ino sat, and listened. She took it all in. The truth behind Revan giving chase to the Mandalorians, Rekkiad, the datacron and finally the supposed existence of the True Sith on Dromund Kaas.

"And that's why we're leaving the fleet behind." He finished the story. "We're going to infiltrate the Sith, learn everything we can about them. We're not involving anyone else because, as Revan said, it's too dangerous."

"You're going to need me." That fire was lit within Ino's eyes again. "Take me with you; put Bandon in charge of the fleet!"

"That's a solid negative from me." He shook his head with a chuckle. "We need you here, Ino. Someone has to carry on Revan's teachings if we fail."

"You know damn well how good we are as a tag team, Naruto!" She shook her head defiantly. "We tore apart the Mandalorians together, we've trained and studied together, we grieved for Sakura and Konohamaru together and we left our last two friends behind for the betterment of the galaxy together!" Were those… tears welling up in her eyes? "And now you're telling me to willingly let you leave on a suicide mission, to watch you walk away after everything we've been through and just accept that you might not make it back?!"

"Ino, what…" He began, wide eyed at this outburst.

"We've lost so much already…" She sobbed. "I've lost so much already… my clan, my planet, my best friend…" A sniffle. "I watched my clan and my planet fade away into hyperspace, I felt the life get crushed out of my best friend, I gave away so much of myself to the war and the only thing that kept me truly grounded… was you…"

Realization slowly settled into Naruto's features as he sat there, letting her vent.

"You were, like always, the rock that held us all together, probably in more ways than one…" She balled her hands into fists and bit down on her bottom lip. "Goddamn it, why…?" She sobbed once again. "Why did I have to fall in love with you, you goddamn idiot? If you were just going to walk away in the end, then why…?"

He suddenly stood and crossed the distance between them, then kneeled so they were face to face.

"You're scared that I'm going to be the next one to die, right?" He surmised. "Because we don't know what the True Sith are capable of, you're scared that I'm walking into a trap."

"Of course I am!" She snapped as the waterworks opened up again. "If you died, if any one of you died, I…"

Whatever she was going to say died when Naruto stopped her mid-sentence with a firm kiss. Her eyes widened, her breath hitched and time seemed to stand still for a few seconds before she closed her eyes and allowed herself to melt into the kiss that ended far too soon for her liking. As she opened her eyes, Ino found herself entranced by those beautiful cobalt orbs of his.

"I'm not gonna die, Ino." He stated confidently. "Now that I have something more to come back to, I'll be damned if I'll die."

"I love you…" She breathed. "I might not have another chance to say it, so I'll say it again… I love you."

"And I love you." He smiled as he gingerly pecked her on the lips once again.

The peck, however, turned a bit more aggressive kiss and the aggressive kiss very soon turned into a hormone-filled desperately ravenous make out session after he had picked her up and laid her upon his bed. She had already been relieved of her tunic and tabard, leaving her in only her purple bra and her pants. As his right hand ghosted over her well-toned abdomen marred here and there with battle scars, he took a handful of her left breast through her bra before leaning down and hungrily kissing her once again. As she gasped into the kiss, she suddenly shot up and pushed him onto his back, undoing her bra as she did so, revealing to him her bountiful 36D's.

"Take me, Naruto." She demanded through breaths as he merely admired the beauty above him. "I want to remember this moment.

With a smirk, he obliged.

(Elemental Nations: Same time)

"They're back…" Growled the Raikage Ay as he stared up at those wretched sky beasts that had interrupted the newest Kage's Summit.

"Let's all just remain calm here…" Advised none other than Kakashi, who had become the Sixth Hokage. "They may have returned to make amends or otherwise rejoin us."

"I'll hear 'em out, but that's about it." Scoffed Kurotsuchi, who had taken over as Tsuchikage for her Grandfather.

"I agree with Kakashi-dono." Gaara spoke up. "We should give them a chance. Especially Naruto."

"I concur." Mei agreed with a nod.

Three Hammerhead-class cruisers, six Interdictor-class cruisers and twelve Foray-class frigates sat in high orbit around the planet, in plain view of the Land of Demons, which had been used as a neutral ground, and its populace, the majority of whom had never seen the ships before, save for the bodyguards present who were veterans of the Fourth Great Shinobi World War and were there for the first visit.

Out of the flagship Hammerhead flew a shuttle, accompanied by a full wing of fighter escorts. As it made its flight, the Kages all gathered in a clearing outside of the main village just in time for the fighters to come screaming over, frightening the civilian populace into submission, followed by the slow descent of the shuttle itself. Once landed, the shuttle's loading ramp lowered, revealing Shikamaru, Hinata and an escort of four Republic soldiers.

"Shikamaru?" Confused, Kakashi's eyebrow rose. "And Hinata? Where's everyone else?"

"Good to see you again, Kakashi-sensei." Grumbled Shikamaru with a sigh. "Really hitting us with the hard questions right out of the gate, huh?"

"Answer the goddamn question, traitor…" Growled Ay. "Before we execute you and that Hyuuga bitch."

"Raikage-dono!" A harsh feminine voice chastised the hulking brute of a man.

Said voice belonged to the mediator of the Summit, Priestess Shion herself, who was dressed in her typical Priestess attire and being attended to by a contingent of bodyguards. Now being on the cusp of eighteen, she had grown a bit since the last time Shikamaru had seen her on a routine diplomatic attaché. She had grown her long blonde hair out a bit longer and it was still tied with a bow at the end, she had shot up in height, now around 5'10" and her Priestess attire nicely hid her well-endowed figure that she had been sure to keep in shape for one reason alone.

"Raikage-dono, there shall be no talk like that within the borders of my country." She glared at the man. "These two are more than welcome here." Shion then spared a glance behind the pair, hoping to find one person in particular.

"My apologies, Priestess." Shikamaru bowed. "Naruto is not among us."

"O-Oh…" Despite hoping for the opposite, Shion put on a diplomatic smile. "Well, I'm sure he'll return at some point, no?"

"That's our wish as well, my Lady." It was Hinata's turn to bow, though she found herself mentally agreeing with the girl more than she would have liked.

"Tell us, Shikamaru." Kakashi spoke up again. "What happened?"

"Sakura and Konohamaru are dead." With a sigh, Shikamaru folded his hands into his cloak. "Naruto and Ino refused to return with us and are serving their new Master, Revan."

"And we…" Hinata began, eyeing Ay critically. "Have sworn ourselves to the Jedi Order and to the Republic. In turn, we have been sent as emissaries representing both parties to try and negotiate the entrance of the Elemental Nations into the Republic and the possibility of uplifting our species as a whole."

"Jedi Order?" Queried Shion. "Republic?"

"We'll explain everything later, Shion-dono." Gaara assured the girl before regarding the Jedi duo before him. "Then has your Republic come to force us?"

"Nothing of the sort." Shikamaru shook his head negative. "As Hinata said, we're emissaries, here to help smooth negotiations over."

"As long as those beasts up there," Kurotsuchi gestured to the ships, "stay way the hell away from us, then we can negotiate."

"With traitors?!" Ay's anger came to a boiling point once again. "They're doing the same thing that witch of theirs did! They've brought their sky beasts as a show of force and will rain that colored fire down upon us if we say anything else but yes!"

"Shut up." Shikamaru firmly ordered with a glare and a wave of his hand.

At once, Ay shut his mouth and glared hatefully, fearfully at Shikamaru who now could use the same power as the 'witch'. Though he knew he could go farther, Shikamaru took in a slow breath and exhaled it equally as slow while mentally reciting the Jedi Code to himself. "Now… shall we begin negotiations?"

"By all means." Shion kept up her diplomatic smile as she gestured for them to follow her.

"Lady Shion?" Shikamaru called out to the Priestess as they began to walk.

"Yes?" She regarded the Nara Jedi as she walked.

"Forgive me if I forget my place by asking this, but last time I saw you was just before the war and if I remember correctly, you were heavy with child…"

"My daughter was born successfully and without complications." She smiled fondly at the mere mention of her daughter. "Makoto-chan is my own personal blessing and the future of the Land of Demons."

"How old is she?" Hinata asked, if only to make conversation.

"Two in just a couple of days." The smile turned melancholic. "And she has yet to even meet her Father."

"… And who's the Father?" Shikamaru had a very good idea of just who it was and he could feel the headache coming from a mile away.

"My dear Naruto-kun, of course!" She seemed to brighten up a bit by just saying his name.

"… There is no emotion…" Through gritted teeth Hinata began desperately reciting the Code.

"Oh, fuck…" Yep, there's that headache that Shikamaru really didn't want.

(With Naruto: Same time)

"OH, FUUUUUUCK~~!" Ino screamed and moaned as Naruto was taking her doggystyle, hitting her fifth orgasm in a row.

"S-Shit…" Naruto groaned, his hands groping her plump ass as he slammed into her again and again, her many gasps and squeals spurring him on. "Ino, I-I'm close…"

"Give it all to me!" She begged. "All of it!"

After a few more thrusts, he buried himself inside her and released. Once he was spent, he pulled himself out and collapsed into the bed beside her, where she crawled into his waiting embrace in post-sex bliss.

"Memorable enough?" He chuckled with a smile.

"Definitely." She returned the smile and gently kissed him.

"More where that came from after I kick some Sith ass." He declared cockily with a toothy grin.

"Be careful." She pressed her forehead against his. "Please."

"You know I will." He stared straight into those blue-green eyes that seemed to hold a tint of yellow. "I'm not dying and I'm coming back to you. That's a promise of a lifetime."

"Damn straight it is." She playfully huffed.

"Naruto, Alek." Revan's voice came over the ship-wide intercom. "It's time."

"Duty calls." He groaned as he forced himself up and out of bed to redress himself.

"Kick some ass, babe." She smirked at him after he had redressed. "And bring back a few trophies, will ya?"

"Yes, Ma'am." He mock saluted before leaning back down and capturing her lips in one last kiss. "Any other orders, Ma'am?"

"Maybe a grocery run?" She playfully tapped a finger against her shin in thought. "We're out of milk."

"Kick ass, trophies and milk." He smirked, then laughed as he made for the door. "Got it."

"Lovable little idiot…" She giggled as she too rolled out of bed and made for his shower.

After a quick turbolift ride, Naruto had made it to the hangar bay where Revan and Alek were waiting for him. "Sorry I'm late. Overslept."

"Uh-huh." Revan's eyebrow rose beneath her mask, yet she let the blatant lie go. "Shuttle's ready, as is our supplies."

"I believe we're ready to depart then, no?" Alek asked.

"To Dromund Kaas we go." Naruto nodded as he took in a breath and was the first one to board the shuttle.

"Remember, when we get there, no lightsabers unless absolutely necessary." Revan reminded her friends as she boarded the craft, taking her mask off only when the loading ramp closed behind her.

"And no robes, I'm assuming?" Alek asked as he rummaged around in the supplies. "Judging from the armor in this shuttle, I'm going to say no robes?"

"Correct." She nodded. "We're posing as mercenaries. No telling how long we'll be there, so we need to make sure we're as convincing as possible. No lightsabers and no use of the Force."

"Got it." Naruto nodded.

"Then the only thing left to say is good luck." Alek also nodded. "To all of us."

"May the Force be with us on this endeavor." Revan agreed with her friend's sentiments as she settled into the cockpit.

Slowly, the shuttle made its way out of the hangar of the Resolute and into the cold, vast expanses of space, the destination a long way off, yet crystal clear in the minds of all three Jedi.

"Naruto." Revan called back into the bay. "Get some sleep; it's gonna be a long ride."

"Thanks…" Despite trying to remain vigilant, Naruto really was hurting for some actual sleep, and by the time Revan had all but ordered him to, he was already nodding off.

He was expecting peaceful sleep and pleasant dreams. Instead, as soon as he drifted off into unconsciousness, he found himself standing in the middle of what could only be described as a throne room, and a grand one at that.

Red banners lined the walls of the throne room, red carpet lined the floor leading from a pair of double doors up to the throne itself, which was empty. The entire area felt… off. He couldn't get a good feel of the area except that it felt off for some reason. As he deled further, however, he felt it. Corruption. A heartbeat of corruption, the soul of the Dark Side itself. As his eyes widened at what he was sensing, the heartbeat closed in on him and rang in his ears, rapidly increasing pace until it suddenly stopped altogether.

"So, you have finally come." A powerful growl of a voice called out to him.

As he whipped around, he grabbed for his lightsaber, which wasn't there, and stared at the black person-shaped mass that now occupied the throne.

"Welcome to Dromund Kaas… my Child."

AN: Well, that's not ominous at all. What did you think, however? It's painfully obvious who the figure was, but I still want to see theories on who the black mass was and why he called Naruto his child. Speaking of, Naruto's a daddy and he doesn't even know it! The way I figure it, he and Shion got freaky after she propositioned him at the end of the movie and that night produced a child, Makoto. Shion was going to tell him, but the war broke out and by the time Makoto was born and Shion was going to once again tell him, he and the group left with Meetra, leaving her high and dry with an infant.

What do you guys think? Will/Should Makoto play a role in events to come? How do you guys think Naruto will react when he eventually finds out he has a daughter? Will she become a Jedi? A Sith? Theories and suggestions are always welcome! Now, onto the pairings as a whole. Revan and Ino are both in and this is officially a foursome. Should I stop here, or add a couple more, and if so, who? Personally, I'm leaning towards just these three girls and that's it, but I want to see what you guys think!

This is ZeroDivisionRaijin, signing off!