Been a long time coming, huh? Disappeared for a while due to a handful of personal reasons and just burning myself out. I decided to come back with a continuation of the one story I've been asked about most. This will be an interesting build but I'm excited for the new ideas I've got and a fresh mind to lay it all out. Here's to new beginnings!

Chapter 2

"Grief does not change you. It reveals who you really are" ~John Green from The Fault In Our Stars

Naruto kept his thoughts to himself for a few minutes, looking at the ongoing battle on the holoscreen and thinking through what he just heard. Their plan wasn't anything interstellar but wasn't terrible. However, there was one glaring issue that was staring him right in the face.

"You're assuming there's going to be too many casualties for the clones. Take a higher number if you want to attack before we can confirm who's left after this."

"I am assuming high numbers, we were supposed to have even less left with the Jedi in the fight. Those padawans ...they must have taken a few down themselves as well" said Aayla.

Naruto sighed "I understand but you have to assume more than will make it. There are roughly 3,000 clones and let's say nearly double the droids along with tactical advantage but we have skill and firepower to boot. So, you could estimate around 500-600 clones would make it out in fighting condition and another 150 wounded, gravely or just a few nicks and shell shock. Now, you've went from the 350 that you had to around 750 There may only really be 200 that make it but we have to assume worse case for us or it'll just turn ass end up before you know it" said Naruto.

"You sound like you've done this kind of stuff before but I've never heard you at any stretch of the galaxy" said Bly.

"As I said earlier, fix this issue and secure a point before we have a long talk."

Barriss chose to speak up this time "I trust you more than the others, as you did save my life so I second his point to wait. He has a right to keep his private life ...well...private."

"I guess I can speak a little about myself just to ease everyone's worries. Just know, I am, or was, the shadow of the Jedi Order that struck when no one else would. I am Yoda's best kept secret, and his most dangerous. I'm an old assassin from a long since dead planet lightyears from here."

"I'm having a hard time believing the Yoda story. As I said, anyone can spout that and how things are my trust is pretty low for everyone at the moment but I'll have to make due" said the blue skinned woman.

"Fair enough but I'll give you more solid information after this is all over with. Sound good?"

"You make it seem like it'll be easy to finish up" said Bly and Naruto smiled.

"And? Keep your confidence up, and it helps you perform better. Believe you can do, and you've got a better chance to. We've got the element of surprise and a solid plan now. What more can you ask for?" Naruto knew it would be easy enough for him to just take it on himself under the cover of night but it wasn't his place to just push through everything. It had been so long since he's seen a jedi fight so he needed to see where they were to plan for future battles.

"Ok, so everyone knows the plan now right? Even if there are mass amounts, the initial assault should take care of their numbers and if not we can move back and take the second attack position" said Aayla.

"That's fine with me."

"Got it" said Bly.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good, do whatever you need to get ready. From how things are we've got about an hour before the clones get through the rest of the droids." Naruto turned heel and walked outside before taking a seat in front of the ship, his sword in his lap. He wanted to enjoy the quiet fresh air before going back into battle in ...in some years. He never had much time to enjoy it when he was fighting so if this was going to be his last time enjoying it, it'd be here. It was going well until he sensed someone walking up behind him and sit next to him.

"How may I help you, little Mirialan?" asked Naruto, keeping his eyes closed.

"I…..how do you stay so confident with such things going on around you? You know the Jedi are disappearing but you seem unaffected by it. Even Aayla is having trouble right now, so am I….."

"I did sense them, but I have kept my mind focused on other things to keep from thinking about it enough to get me down about it before this battle. I keep my confidence high so everyone else sees it and it keeps morale up."

"Do you ever let your feelings out?"

Naruto hesitated in his answer "I ...at times but only when I can do it without hurting others or myself. I've always been the pillar for my group, the smiling sun, the one who glues it all together so I guess even after I left my group it just stuck with me wherever I go."

"I wish I could do that, at least to just keep my mind clear. I just wish I was strong enough." Naruto opened his eyes and glanced over at her, seeing her with her knees up to her chest and her arms locked around each other to keep her knees close. He frowned and turned his head to her, causing her to look at him.

"You are strong, you don't hold the title of Jedi Knight for show. Yoda knows who deserves those rights are strong, and important in their own way. Barriss, you have to believe that you can do anything if you set your mind to it. Don't doubt Yoda's decision and don't doubt your own abilities. I'm sure you'll do fine today and you have myself, the commander and a master jedi with you."

Naruto saw the tears well in her eyes before she spoke "But what if I can't? I'm not a master Jedi, I can't even trust what the masters told me in my padawan days! I believed a lie left by the sith and went with it unquestioningly. I'm nothing amazing, I'm not strong, I'm so imperfect it hurts me!" Barriss stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and Naruto kneeled in front of her, closer than he was before.

"Everyone is imperfect and no one can do everything but believing in yourself is the best thing you can do. Don't focus on the bad, believe in the good, the possibilities that keep you headstrong. You, nonetheless, are a Jedi. Forget your past actions, this is a new beginning today. This is a new life for not just you, but everyone. See it as such, a new chance to prove yourself and take the charge to believe in all you can." Naruto moved his hand to wipe away the tears that fell down her face and moved to hug her. She returned it with vigor, holding on to him tight. She let her tears fall freely as she hugged him, letting herself break down for the first time in front of anyone besides her old master and her friend, Ashoka. They stayed like that for some time, Naruto remained unmoving until he felt her arms fall and he followed, taking a seat across from her once again but now facing her.

Barriss sniffled a little, wiping her eyes "Thank you, I shouldn't be bothering a stranger for things like this."

"There's no shame, I've done it before time and time again in my younger days. I didn't have anyone to look up to so I usually just found someone who was willing to listen and sometimes it wasn't always someone I knew very well, or too long. Now, let's try for one last step with the time left. Meditate with me, calm yourself and clear your mind." Barriss didn't argue one bit, she got into her meditative stance across from him and let herself fade away, letting her emotions wash away.

Forty five minutes later

Barriss opened her eyes just as she sensed Naruto move, standing herself as he did.

"Get ready, we'll be moving soon." Barriss walked back into the ship but stopped just before she got all the way up the ramp.

"Again, thank you for, well, everything ...Naruto."

Naruto turned to her and smiled "I'm glad I could help and I'm here any time." Barriss returned the smile, nodded her head then disappeared into the aircraft and leaving Naruto alone once again.

"Looks like your back in the game, I wonder what will happen now" said a voice inside his head.

"Kurama, it's nice to hear from you again. I'm sure I'll make some waves coming back but it's something I feel needs to be done. I guess It's time to get to get to work once again." Naruto couldn't see it but he could just tell the massive grin that spread across his lifelong friend.

"Let's show this new generation what real power is" said the nine tails and Naruto couldn't help but smirk as he nodded. Kurama cut the connection when the bay doors to the ship and out walked the two jedi and their captain.

"The battle just ended, looks like we have roughly four hundred to deal with and we don't know who's all injured within that" said Aayla.

"Looks like this'll be pretty easy. However, don't let your guard down just because there's less of them. They won't know who's moving on them first and they won't know the numbers so do your best to keep that to your advantage. I do have a question for you though."

"What's that?" asked Aayla and Naruto walked up to her and stopped.

"When it gets down to it, will you push forward without me? I know how you Jedi are and I won't go into battle with you unless I know for sure you're willing to push your group forward when the opportunity is presented." It was only a split second but when she frowned she looked down slightly, that hesitation was something Naruto expected. Her response afterwards was what surprised him. She dug her heels in and stood straighter, getting right in his face as her eyes burned with a fire he hadn't seen in her since they met.

"I'll do it, for my team and for everyone we've lost. This is our comeback and the stepping stone. I'm not going to waste it."

Naruto returned her fire with a smile "That's what I wanted to hear. Now, what's the next step General?"

X

The newly retaken base only had an hour of rest. Clones were preparing to send messages to command for backup when all system suddenly shut down and backup generators kicked the lights back on. A moment later static was all that they could hear through the comms channel.

"Coms are down! Someone's jamming them!" shouted someone in the hanger, putting any clone within hearing range at the ready. Slowly, word passed and the remaining healthy clones began to scout the entire base. No one noticed under the radio silence as their numbers thinned, bit by bit. After nearly two hours the second in command of the 327th star corps Galle noticed the pattern, recalling his 4 man group to the underground bunker. Including himself, and another group of 4 men they ran across, managed to secure the locks and reboot what they could using the backup generators power.

"Sir, there's no way out" said one of the clones from the other group after scanning the rest of the fairly large bunker. It was well furnished, most likely a back-up room for a high level sepratist diplomat but it was just that. A well forfeited room underground for someone to relax in as the siege went on above.

"Then we prepare to fight whoever goes through that door next. Once the power's back on they can easily override the other side with command controls" said Galle. His squad checking gear, clearing the room and finding places to rest or hide in.

"So this is our last stand then?" asked Flash as he readied his heavy blaster on the table.

"It might be, if a Jedi walks through that door" said Cameron laying down in the front with his sniper rifle aimed at the door.

"The commander said she was down" said Lucky, not really feeling up to his name right now.

"A Jedi is capable of many things, faking death is one of them" said Galle before Flash spoke again.

"You think….you really think she betrayed us? She could have just let us die countless other times than die here at this base by her hand."

"I…..we don't have the luxury to think about that right now!" said Galle before he felt something off. He noticed a wall just at the other corner of the room from the main door seemed off, like it had been pushed open.

"Keep watch at that door, I need to scout something out." The lieutenant slowly walked over, behind Cameron and towards the ajar panel. A few other troopers noticed the oddity and split their attention from the door and the panel now. Galle closed in and reached out, moving it as not to make any noise only to see what looked like a small stow away room barely large enough for an adult to crawl into.

"Some kind of back up, back up hideout?" asked one of the troopers from the other group.

"I don't know, this seems off in some way. This wasn't out of place in the first scan?" asked Galle and no one seemed to remember it being. Just then, the main generator kicked back up and the room lights shut off, a moment later they returned in full lighting and Galle noticed the change immediately. The five clones on the opposite side of the room were all sprawled across the floor, unconscious. A second later, one of their flashbangs landed on the table where Flash was. He saw it and had enough time to turn his head before the blast went off and all Galle remembered was the blinding light before darkness overtook him.

X

The door to the bunker opened and Naruto walked in, seeing eight clones tied up and resting against the wall while a woman rested on the table's edge in the center of the room.

"You took your sweet time getting here" said the woman, stretching before getting off the table. Her garb was just a simple blue shirt and brown pants with boots to match.

"I was busy with a few hundred other, Matatbi" said Naruto before a seething glare was sent his way.

"You KNOW I don't go by that anymore" she seethed through gritted teeth and he held his hands up.

"Sorry Yugito, you were the last to switch over so it slips my mind sometimes. Seems they found your hiding hole while trying to lock themselves in here."

"They were planning a last stand against whoever took the others out, regardless of who it was. I will say this though, they spoke of the Jedi being the enemy. Is there something I missed in my little cat nap?"

"We'll explain on the way, let's meet up top." He wordlessly created a few clones to carry the soldiers before they walked back up to the war room, where the 'secret' bunker door was placed. As he walked in, he ignored the confused looks from his three allies as multiples of himself walked in carrying a handful of clones before placing them down against the far wall. They quickly checked and reinforced the restraints before dispelling.

"Some ninja trick of yours?" asked Aayla and Naruto nodded.

"Who is this young lass?" asked Bly, motioning to Yugito who bashfully waved at him.

"Flattery will get you everywhere, commander." His answer from her only left him more confused so he turned to the blonde that signed and motioned for everyone to take a seat around the table. He took the head of the table, Yugito on his right, Aayla on his left while Bly and Barris sat nearby Aayla on her side.

"Where should I begin?" asked Naruto, mostly to himself but Aayla responded.

"The history of your people, perhaps?"

Naruto snapped his finger "Perfect! My people were always at war, long before I ever came into existence. War was what we knew best, how we operated. Even during times of peace, war always loomed with the slightest provocation from either side. Due to the gift bestowed upon our people from an ancient tree, we became even better at war. As time passed, and my time became, the war across our world peaked for the last time. The same goddess who claimed the tree's power hundreds of years ago, was reborn from her underlings and razed our world. My friend and I fought with the gifts from her children, for years we prolonged and fought. Hiding and using every tactic we had to slowly find weaknesses before the final battle around the time I turned 25.

It was a long time coming, nearly everyone had fallen to her powers and sealed away to become a new source for her power. We knew she was weakest every blood moon, when she could not control its powers, so we began the final battle and in the end we sealed the goddess. It cost us our world though, and many other things we learned as time passed. Due to the power she gained from the worlds life, the sealing method worked differently than to seal her away into a pocket dimension. She'd grown too powerful so it adjusted and split it between myself and my friend, granting us powers we'd never dreamed of and limitless life."

"How long ago was that?" interrupted Bly but Aayla held a hand to keep his questions silent from there.

Naruto smiled and continued "From there, we tried to make due with what we had. Due to our own failure to beat her quickly enough, she'd consumed all human life on the planet. Only we remained, so we just did our best to live. We consoled each other as we had the time to mourn and we helped each other train our new powers as well as learn the older moves from our deceased planet. As we began to grow more accustomed to life with just the two of us the goddess's clan members arrived, six strong. However, we learned in the first few minutes how far we outclassed them.

Had we sealed her early on and fought as we were without her power, they would've been an extremely tough group but with her accumulated power it was a one sided battle. We gave them no room to regroup, or attempt whatever ritual they tried. We sealed them as we sealed here, gaining even more power. As the last disappeared, we noticed the seal on our hands faded, which we assumed signified the end of their clan, and what felt like our last real purpose.

From there, it was a dull existence. I lost count but my friend said it was around a thousand years before an odd looking craft we learned was a spaceship, landed in our small settlement. It was Master Dar'Nala and her padawan Satele Shan. That was our entrance into this galaxy and its struggles."

Aayla stood up, surprising Bly and Barriss "You knew Satele Shan!?"

Naruto nodded, confused by her surprise "Yes, she was a fine Jedi and I'm grateful for all the help she gave us into our new life."

"Master Secura, why is that an issue? Was she an old master?" Barris was floored when they said they waited a thousand years on that planet but she knew Master Yoda was nearly a thousand. They may be some special species with long life but they couldn't have been more than a few thousand years old by his actions and looks.

Aayla turned to her "Master Satele, no, Grandmaster Satele was the head of the Jedi order in the old republic over 3000 years ago. She helped lay the foundation of what the Galactic Republic and the new Jedi order based themselves on." That made Barriss's eyes go wide as she began to remember the teachings of the history of the Jedi from her early days.

"T-that makes you…. nearly 5000 years old" said Barriss looking at the smiling Naruto who shrugged.

"You lose count after the first few thousand really, but that sounds right. Satele was a wonderful woman and probably in the top five strongest Jedi I've known in my time. She excelled with certain aspects that made her better suited as a Grandmaster than a frontline fighter. Her foresight and telepathy were stronger than anyone. At her peak she could offhandedly see a few minutes into the future with precise clarity and communicate to a squad in the heat of battle. In meditation she could dig even deeper, leaving myself and my companion with orders that held true down to this day. Ah, I'm starting to really miss her" said Naruto, looking to the sky as if he was searching for her presence.

"Hold on now, if she predicted this why didn't you or anyone do something?" said Bly, careful to keep his anger down. He wasn't fully believing it but he didn't wish to push any buttons right now.

"She predicted 'the tipping of the scales like something akin to a purge to the light' but that was all and there was no real time stamp. She estimated it was a few thousand or more but as she knew, even we didn't know our own lifespan. I still don't know if I'll suddenly drop dead" he said as he shrugged, brushing the thought of death off. Aayla was starting to believe him more and more, mostly due to information he just talked about that she'd read from a holocron buried deep in the Jedi temple. The odds he just found it as she had, and the higher odds it he'd elaborated even more than the holocron had.

Aayla sat back down, quieting her mind "That still doesn't explain your friend here, or the companion you spoke of."

"Oh yeah! Remember that tree I spoke of? Well, after it's fruit disappeared it shifted it's form a few years after into a ten tailed beast intent to regain the fruit the goddess stole. The two children of the goddess split it and sealed the body away creating nine tailed beasts. As I was born, my mother being a host of the strongest, the nine tailed fox, it was transferred to me with her and my father's death. During the war against the goddess I took them into me to help us fight on better footing.

I hadn't been asked by Yoda for any missions in a decade or so, as I traveled around the outer rim so I felt it was rude of me to force them to stay inside as things were so dull. I used some advanced blood sealing of my own creation to made each one their own body before transferring most of their essence into each body. They moved across the galaxy on their own and only Yugito over here stuck around, her and my own."

Aayla rubbed her head at the new information "Ok, and the companion of yours?" She badly wanted this to be over, so they could sort out what to do next. She needed to rest and let this all sink in.

"Ah, Sasuke. He's somewhere, haven't met with him in a few decades either. Our last mission together was just to take care of a sith padawan that had been separated from her master. She'd been burning down fields here and trying to kill anything and everything she came across. Yoda never asked us for anything so I stayed here and he left to explore the outer rim."

"Could you not contact him?" asked Barriss. She was hopeful with the two of them they could start the retaliation quickly.

Naruto shook his head "We agree to meet every fifty years on our base on the farthest reaches of the outer rim. It's only been a few decades so no dice."

"You seem very lax about this entire situation" said Bly, now glaring at him. If he was as old, powerful and connected as he spoke why wasn't he razing these separatists to the ground?

"I am, I've seen the falling and rising of both sides now and I refuse to become anything more than a mere whisper amongst the Jedi. We are merely referee's and everything towards now has been mostly fair game. No matter how far one side is pushed, they rise again better than before. We are gods, not a charity business. I've decided to help here, and help you build a resistance once more but I am not your weapon. What makes you so inclined to point your finger at me like that, hmm? Do any of you know what your up against?" said Naruto, now standing with his hands on the table, leaning towards them with a glare so cold it froze them all. It was then Yugito put a hand on his chest and his demeanour softed immedalty.

He turned and took a few steps "Forgive me, my powers stimulate all my emotions and feed off them. I get lost sometimes."

"I want to know something, if you're willing to answer" said Barriss, making Aayla look to her in concern. She didn't wish to push this man any further.

He turned to her with a curious look and ushered her to speak "What is your power? How do you even fight? You were alone in here and you speak of your strength but…..but the force flows around you. I've never seen or heard it simple flowing around something."

Naruto turned "A demonstration is in order then, to assure your confidence in me and my powers. As well, I owe you some faith in me since I'll be taking command until we find a suitable commander. No offense Aayla, you're needed on the field and you can't do both and build and uprising. Now, before all that we need to sort out these eight." Naruto moved to the clones still unconscious, knelt and pulled the helmets off them as they slowly came to from the movement.

"C-commander? Why are you with the Jedi?" asked Gelle, the first to wake but no one answered as Naruto suddenly multiplied before each one placed a hand on their heads.

"Alright, let's see if I can still do this." Aayla and Barriss saw something fascinating happen before their eyes. The force, once flowing around them, rushed in at an alarming rate before being slowly funneled into the clones for a few seconds before each one dispelled. In random order, the clones disappeared and the original stood with a smile.

"I flooded them with energy and walked their minds, burning the order from their memory. They'll have some nasty headaches and possible confusion of today but they should be more than alright. I'd keep them tied up regardless but they'll be out till tomorrow. Time for a demonstration?" He said no more and walked towards the base and into its ship docking area where the roof was already open. He looked around, feeling out the area and placing himself in the center of the opening as the others were near the door. He spoke but they heard him as easily as if he were right in front of them.

"While you have the force flowing through you, which allows you to you do everything you know, my race didn't. We were special, unlike the goddess whose powers were amplified by the divine tree. We called is chakra and used hand signs to mold it." He seemed to weave a few odd gestures with his hands before facing up as a massive gust of wind suddenly shot from his mouth and upwards into the sky. The Jedi saw as he made those signs the force seemed to actually come from him before being pushed outwards.

"After gaining my new powers, I still required hand signs for my peoples techniques but many of these new ones manifested in different ways. I will say this, I'm toning it down a good deal just to show you and so we don't attract attention." A moment later, his form was ablaze in gold energy as 9 orbs floated behind him. The Jedi were floored and left speechless, he was ablaze as the force flowed out of him like a pillar of light. It was like looking at the sun. Neither Barriss or Aalya had never experienced this much raw power from anyone. Then, in a flicker, he was in front of them. No movement, nothing, just there. Then the golden glow disappeared and he smiled again.

"Is that enough or would you like more demonstrations?"

Aayla spoke first "No, I need to sleep on all of this. On this entire day. Can we speak more on this tomorrow?" As much as she wanted to get started on the rebellion her mind was muddled, she was already exhausted from the previous days of fighting and everything today was just adding to her breaking point. She needed a long rest and in the back of her head, she felt with Naruto they were safe to sleep.

"That's best, I'll keep watch of our guests in the war room. Everyone else get rest in the rooms nearby and we'll discuss action tomorrow. Actions in haste lead to waste" said Naruto. It didn't take long for the three to find a room for them all to fit in before they immediately passed out, leaving Naruto and Yugito alone in the war room, minus the clones.

"So what's your plan? Everyone's scattered, Sasuke is somewhere on Coruscant so he'll be busy for a while. No matter what he does, he's always focused on starting up the grey Jedi. He said he'd found one on your last mission and planned to follow his path and pick him up at the right time" said Yugito and Naruto shrugged.

"For now, the plan is to keep them safe and either build here, or find another place to build a proper home base. I'll play a heavy handed roll until I see the ball rolling faster before I can shift back into the shadows and let someone else take over. I'll use this group to keep my involvement directly out of the founding should someone connect too many dots."

"Still wanting to stay hidden after all this time?"

"For now, until there's a reason for me to truly step into the light. Once I pick a side, it'll be hard for me to operate and move as freely as I did before. Maybe I'll help and go with Sasuke if that grey Jedi idea of his works out well enough."

"I like that idea, keep some neutrality and freedom in the end. Guess we'll see how neutral we can be when we start brainstorming tomorrow" said Yugito, propping her feet up and reclining as Naruto opened the star maps. They were actively sending reports and updating the changes it seemed. He created a few clones to keep up the information and one to feed false information about Felucia. If nothing else, he'd secure their secrecy for as long as he could.

X

Far away, in the home of the Galactic Republic a lone man shifted his coal eyes from his task to the sky.

"So, you're up and moving. We'll be meeting soon then, on the battlefield once more."

There you have it, my return. It'll be a slow one and I plan to pace out things more so I can fully commit to a better story over pushing chapters out left and right but I want length like this each time. I'm happy for those who stayed and the fans I'll make along the way, Let's get this party started, yeah?