Um... so this took a while...

Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor Star Wars at all.

Chapter 9

2 years later…

Sasuke looked out at the landscape before him. Nothing but snow and ice. Not for the first time, he reminisced his time with Team 7, back when things were simpler. He especially remembered their mission of protecting Koyuki Kazahana in the Land of Snow.

In fact, that was where he and the rebels were now. The daimyo Koyuki was more than willing to allow the rebels to establish a new base in her land. She too had no love for the Empire since they took away the technology that once made the land the Land of Spring. It helped that she fondly remembered Naruto and Sasuke's part on the mission. And so, the rebels were allowed to form a base and had been there for months, the longest that they had stayed anywhere.

As for Sasuke, he had been with the rebels for the past two years. Slowly but surely, he gained the respect of the rebels and earned his place as Shikamaru's right hand. Even the leaders came to accept him. According to Shikamaru, ever since Sasuke joined, the rebels saw more victories and morale had risen for a while.

Sasuke found working with the rebels to be eye-opening. Travelling with them, he saw the devastation the Empire had laid, whether it was to silence any oppositions or to forcefully take resources. He also saw the effects it had on the civilians. As the Empire took children away to be drafted into their army, many families were left heartbroken. It reminded Sasuke of his own family. He would vow once more to take down Danzo and Akuma.

There would be times when the sting of loneliness hit hard. Many times he would watch the remaining Konoha 11 in their respective teams and realize how much he missed Team 7. Naruto was gone. Sakura was dead. And Kakashi was still in his coma. Sasuke wished that they were still here.

Suddenly, Sasuke saw something at the corner of his eye. He turned his head towards it. He squinted his eyes and peered at the landscape. Nothing was there.

Odd…

Meanwhile…

The airship slowly made its way over the Land of Snow. Inside it, officers were overseeing operations as the pilots navigated through the sky. Akuma was surveying the land below.

"Akuma-sama, a scout found something," an officer said.

"What is it?" Akuma said.

The officer handed her a picture, which showed a young man. Behind him, there was an entrance that was barely visible below the snow. Akuma recognized the man.

"That's the rebel base. Get a troop ready and deploy immediately."

"Yes, Akuma-sama." The officer bowed and left.

Akuma continued to stare at the picture. He was there, the one he had been looking for the past two years. He was the key.

Sasuke Uchiha…

Later…

"Shikamaru-san!"

Said man was discussing plans with Sasuke when a soldier ran to him. He turned to address the soldier, "What news?"

"Scouts have spotted vehicles headed in our direction. They found us."

Shikamaru cursed. Vehicles were the newest technology introduced by the Empire only a year ago. Their versatility allowed for transport of soldiers across all kinds of terrains. Along with vehicles, new weapons were introduced. These weapons were inspired by the one destroyed two years ago. They allowed the Empire soldiers to take down rebels from a distance with pure chakra. Putting the weapons on vehicles had proven to be a blow to the rebels. Sasuke's presence had helped the rebels in the past and morale had risen. However, the introduction of the weapons nearly beaten it back down. So far, Shikamaru had figured out that they could be destroyed from the inside. He wondered if they would advance any further since the Empire had only installed the weapons on these vehicles so far. What if they found a way for their soldiers to carry their own individual weapons? Now that would be truly disastrous.

"Alert the other leaders. Start an evacuation immediately," Shikamaru commanded. The soldier nodded and ran off. Sasuke had a realization when he heard the report.

"I thought I saw something when I was outside. It must have been a scout. I should have realized that," he said bitterly.

Shikamaru sighed, "It doesn't matter anymore. They're here now."

"Even if we start the evacuation now, we won't make it. They'll be here before we leave. I'll get any able soldiers to hold them off," Sasuke said.

"Good. I'll get everyone out."

Sasuke nodded and turned to leave. "Sasuke," Shikamaru called. He turned to look at the shadow-user. The two men had grown to trust each other, having lost so much to the Empire.

"Be safe."

Sasuke nodded and returned his sentiments. He quickly went to gather the rebels.

Every capable rebel were quick to respond and gathered at the entrance. Temari had gotten word of the incoming troops and was now giving instructions.

"Surround the base and take positions. Wait for command. You will all hold off any Empire soldiers that try to invade while we get as much out. Is that understood?"

The rebels murmured their assent.

"Good luck."

With that, the rebels ran outside to take their positions. Temari nodded to Sasuke and went to the command center. Sasuke followed the rebels and saw them rushing to take their place in the trench surrounding the base. He took out binoculars to survey the field.

At first glance, he could not see anything. He looked closer and could make out figures in the distance. They became closer and Sasuke recognized them. There were transport and combat vehicles. The Empire soldiers arrived.

"Get ready," Sasuke shouted.

Soon enough, the combat vehicles started firing. The rebels took cover but there were already casualties. The vehicles continued to fire as the transports stopped. The doors opened and Empire soldiers immediately rushed out, heading towards them. Sasuke cursed. They had to delay the enemy. Quickly, he took note of the snow and had an idea.

"Anyone who can use Fire Release, blow fire into the snow!"

Rebels responded quickly and used any fire techniques they knew. The fire caused the snow to immediately melt. The scorching temperature caused a mist, which was exactly what Sasuke intended. The Empire soldiers would have limited ability of discerning where the rebels would be. The same went for the combat vehicles. They wouldn't be able to see what to aim at.

Once the enemy ran into the mist, Sasuke shouted, "Go!"

The rebels jumped out of the trench and ran to meet the soldiers in battle. They managed to catch the Empire soldiers off guard as they slashed through as many as they could. Sasuke took down any enemy that came in his way as he headed towards a combat vehicle. Fortunately, the gunner was distracted from shooting as many rebels down and did not see Sasuke coming.

Sasuke climbed up the side of the vehicle. Getting on top, he forced the hatch open and dropped a paper bomb inside. He jumped off and landed back into the snow. He heard a shout from inside and then the explosion came.

Getting up, he saw that a few rebels were lucky enough to take down other vehicles as well. Thanks to the mist, many Empire soldiers were taken down. Seeing this, they started to retreat. The rebels jeered at them as they ran.

Sasuke had no time to react when he felt an explosion behind him. He flew forward and landed. He felt his head hit on something. As he lay on the snow, he saw his vision slowly darkening. Before it finally blacken, he heard a deep, guttural voice.

…Shikkotsu Forest…Naruto…Sakura…

"Akuma-sama, the first troops have retreated."

"And why is that?" Akuma's voice was deadly calm.

The officer quivered in fear, "Admiral Hitoshi felt that it was wise to conserve any soldiers left."

"He is clumsy and stupid. Bring him to me."

"Yes, my lord."

Minutes later, said admiral came to Akuma. "Yes, Akuma-sama?"

"The first troops should've been more than enough to overwhelm the rebels. And yet, they've retreated."

"But—"

The admiral did not get to say his piece as a hand clutched his throat.

"No matter, you have failed me for the last time." Akuma crushed his throat and dropped the body. She turned to the captain nearby, "You are admiral now, Captain Sora. Send in all of the troops."

"Y-Yes," the new admiral stuttered. All those who had witnessed the scene actively avoided looking at the body and went about their job.

Unbothered, Akuma went to prepare for the final assault.

I edited Chapter 1 to change Akuma's description to try to make him/her sound more scary. I introduced vehicles into this story to show just how technologically advanced the Empire is becoming, putting the rebels at a greater disadvantage. All the more reason to try to take the Empire down before it becomes impossible to do so...

Hopefully, I'll get the next chapter up soon. It takes a while for me to get an idea on what to write down so I'll do the best I can.

Thanks for reading!