Hi everyone! Sorry this took so long, just look at my other recent updates to understand why. Anyways, onto review responses and then the next chapter.

Dante 101: Big review, thanks for that. From the Old Republic era Darth Malgus is one of my favs. There will be some very slight bashing of a few Konoha characters before Naruto's departure into space but I'm not there yet so it's not anytime soon. The story itself will begin to break into more original material around the Hunt for Itachi arc and then be completely original from there. The planet is nameless for now since as they don't have space capabilities or even know of life beyond their planet, they haven't bothered to name it. Naruto himself will actually name it after they leave so that they'll have a way to refer to their home with out constantly saying 'my home planet' or the 'shinobi' planet. And while Kesh didn't have space capabilities, they at least knew about the rest of the galaxy and had technology far beyond what the Naruto world currently has. Vestara will not have chakra though as chakra is something unique to life on this one single planet. The reason Vestara is showing, as you mentioned, signs of arrogance and demanding is because that's how she originally was before joining and then leaving the Jedi. She's trying to figure out what to do with her life one bit at a time and the easiest way for her to start would be to go to what she knows best, which is how she was as a Sith before he life became confusing and harsh. Naruto hasn't figured out the clones yet as him rubbing his neck was sort of in sympathetic pain, like how a lot of guys will wince when they see another get hit in the balls. And Naruto will not take a Darth title because Vestara doesn't have one. The Lost Tribe didn't seem to believe in Darth titles as none of them had them and since Vestara was/is Lost Tribe and teaching Naruto similar to how she was taught, neither of them will take one. As for Naruto's personality, some of it will change for the better, other parts of him will be for the worse.

kishinokurobi: I've been toying with the idea of Naruto have a couple small moments with other women before settling on Vestara but have ultimately decided not to do that. Naruto will take a while to develop feelings for Vestara and then even longer to both admit them and actually get together with her. You're right that trying to turn the village against him can backfire and that Sith gather info first to make a more perfect plan. That's actually what Vestara will be doing actually; gathering information on Naruto and the village as she tries to convince him to defect. Turning the village on him was simply the first idea that came to mind but she'll have a couple others along the way that she'll try before finally getting him. Also, your idea about have Sakura be with Sasuke to depress/anger Naruto into leaving wouldn't work since Sasuke would be coming with as I said he'll also join the Sith for a while before changing sides to the Jedi. If Naruto's angry with Sasuke then he wouldn't bring him with on a trip into space.

blub: First off, the Jedi Order under Luke doesn't give two shits about age actually. As long as you have the ability and are willing to try, you can get in and learn. Most of Luke's original recruits to the New Jedi Order were around his age or older. Also, you don't know how I'll be having Sasuke join the Jedi or what will happen to him before he does. While currently in the story he's a revenge driven teen, that doesn't mean he won't change over time. Naruto is currently an optimist that believes in the best of people and is willing to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and help them as much as possible. Yet you don't seem to find the idea of him being a Sith impossible. Why? Because you understand that he can change as the story goes on, yet you seem to think Sasuke can't. Why is that? Trust me, by the time Sasuke joins the Jedi he'll be totally different.

Exanime Draco: You actually came really close with your first idea. As for the romance, it will be a slow build up on both sides before the two get together.

Authors Note: A quick notice here, this chapter kind of rushes through the Rescue Gaara arc. I mean literally, it rushes over the entire arc, only giving the bare minimum needed to understand what happened during it before moving on. Just figured I'd warn you ahead of time.

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Chapter 02 – A Taste of Power

Konohagakure no Sato, Hi no Kuni, Unnamed Planet

Vestara sighed as she walked out of the shop. Again she had entered looking for info on Naruto only to get the same assorted answers. She had been doing this all day, hoping that by understanding more about her soon-to-be apprentice she'd be able to convince him better. What she found was somewhat confusing but also slightly hopeful for her.

Most simply wondered why she wanted the answers and wouldn't answer.

A few, mostly those with headbands denoting their shinobi status, refused to answer about a comrade unless she gave them good reason.

And then the rest, mostly civilians based on their lack of muscle or power of any kind, seemed to dislike or flat out hate him and just told her to stay away from an 'evil boy' like him.

The last group was promising only because it meant her idea of turning the village against him to drive him to her help seemed possible in a believable manner. The rest though weren't very convincing. She had also refrained from using the Force on them since after Naruto's explanation about chakra the day before, she didn't want to risk someone finding her out. Thus she stuck with simple questions and only nudged someone's mind to get a free meal.

As for Naruto himself, she had followed him in the Force and knew he was with four others, three of which seemed older and one that was around his age. Since only Naruto shined in the Force, she couldn't judge the others, especially since she didn't know what this chakra could truly do. Making copies of oneself out of nothing was an amazing ability and she didn't really want to provoke anything unnecessary and find out if there was anything better.

Vestara kept her thoughts to herself as she walked down the main street, idly moving around others without breaking stride. She was thinking about confronting Naruto again in a day or so, mostly for her benefit but also to give him time to think a bit more on her offer. She needed to learn more about this village and it's people to better understand Naruto's point of view and better convince him. She had thought about asking for directions to a library or other database of knowledge but just from looking at signs and such, she knew she couldn't read the language. The people may speak Basic, but they wrote something else. She'd only gotten away with food by lightly lifting the names of her ordered dishes from the minds of those nearby to know what she was asking for.

'Convincing him will be more difficult than I believed but it shouldn't prove impossible. I simply need to make him believe that the Sith are a better option than this place. But how to do that is my problem...' She thought as she noticed some shinobi walking by. It was a group of three and they were talking about training with large grins and animated gestures, obviously enjoying the prospect of growing stronger. From remembering her talk with Naruto, he himself had seemed eager about the possibility of new abilities as well but had only turned her down due to an obligation and desire to help his home. 'Perhaps...' She began as her thoughts came up with a minor plan. 'Perhaps I can start by gaining his trust with a sample of the power I can offer.'

If she offered just a small bit of training, enough to give him a basic taste of power, then later on he may come to her desiring more. At that point she would give him a little more but then stop until he pledged his allegiance to her and her cause. She knew it could possibly work since the dark side was addicting to people. Even she felt its pull. The trick was to control the urges it brought about, the urge for power above all else. She would give him a bit of the power, some minor tips and tricks, but none of the needed control. Then the more he used what she taught him, the more the dark side would drive him to gain greater strength.

And push him straight to her.

The girl smiled as she looked up towards the carved mountain faces. She had a plan now. And if it worked then she would have an apprentice and the Sith would have a powerful new warrior.

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"Well done you two. From now on, the three of us are a team again and ready for missions." Kakashi praised with one of his normal eye-smiles while Sakura and Naruto grinned in return. Off to the side, Tsunade and Jiraiya were smiling themselves after watching the younger pair battle their sensei and manage to trick him into a defeat. It was a smart plan that Naruto had come up with. Fake spoiling Kakashi's new Icha Icha book which would make him cover his ears. Add in that with his Sharingan he would have been able to read his lips and the man had closed his eyes as well leaving him open.

"I'm seriously considering banning those books of yours Jiraiya. Such a blatant weakness to be exploited..." Tsunade mused with a minor glare towards her old teammate. Then man himself just chuckled nervously at the thought but said nothing as they walked towards the reunited team. "All right you three. Take the rest of the day off and come see me first thing tomorrow for missions. Dismissed!" Tsunade ordered before heading back to her office, Jiraiya following her to talk more about Naruto's progress and other things. Kakashi made his own farewells to the younger pair before walking off himself, no doubt to read the very book that had been his downfall.

"So do you wanna do anything Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked his pink haired teammate as he placed his hands behind his head and they started walking back towards the village together.

"I would if I could Naruto but I've got a couple things to take care of and then I promised Ino I'd meet up with her later for something. Sorry." She added at the end as she saw him sigh over missing out on the chance to spend time together.

"Nah, it's fine Sakura-chan. I guess we can just do something next time. I mean, now that I'm back in the village we've got all the time in the world right?" He joked as she smiled. "So I guess I'll see ya later 'kay?" The girl said her own goodbye as the two split and headed off in different directions. Feeling a bit hungry and knowing he missed out yesterday Naruto decided it was time to get some of his favorite food. Walking swiftly, his hungry gut led him straight to Ichiraku's Ramen, a place he would proudly declare made the best food in the world. Sitting at his favorite seat the blond was quick to wave over the waitress, a young woman with short brown hair only a couple years older than him. "Hey Ayame-nee-chan!"

"Hey Naruto-kun! You're finally back!" She cheered as she stepped out from behind the counter to give him a hug. The blond grinned as he returned the gesture and Ayame looked back over his shoulder. "Hey dad, Naruto's back!"

"It's about time! We missed ya boy!" A man called back as he stuck his head out. The blond kept his smile up as he looked between the father-daughter duo that ran his favorite food stand.

"Thanks. I just got back yesterday actually." He admitted before clutching his head as Ayame had slapped him.

"What?! And you didn't swing by to let us know? That's mean Naruto-kun." She scolded as he waved his hands and started stuttering out apologies only for her to start laughing. "I'm only joking Naruto-kun. Seriously though, welcome back."

"First bowl is on the house kiddo!" Tuechi cheered from behind the curtain where he was cooking.

"Seriously? Awesome!"

"So how've you been Naruto-kun?" Ayame asked as she retook her spot behind the counter. The blond was only to happy to share as he began sharing some of the stories of his travels with the Sannin over the past couple years and Ayame listened attentively, only stopping to bring him his food or care for the occasional other customer. Naruto was smiling happily the entire time as he shared and ate, happy to finally be back among two of the people he cared about.

"So anything new going on around here?" Naruto finally asked as he took a break from talking about his trip. Ayame grinned and waved her hand lightly in a dismissive manner.

"Not much compared to you. Business has been good and we've been thinking about expanding but we'll have to see where that goes. Overall though, things have been really quiet since you left."

"And slower! We lost our money-maker!" Her father chipped in from the back as Naruto only chuckled.

"I'll be sure to fix that by coming by more then!"

"Good!" Ayame only laughed as her father called back and Naruto grinned himself.

"Oh, there was something to note earlier today." She started as something came back to her. Naruto raised a brow when she spun and faced him with a very teasing grin on her face. "A girl came by asking about you~~!"

"A-a girl? Who?" Naruto asked in shock as Ayame placed a finger on her chin and thought back to the teen that had been inquiring about the blond.

"Let's see; brown hair, black jacket over a red shirt and this little scar on her lip that made it look like she was smirking all the time. I didn't recognize her and I've met most of the girls you know at least once or twice over the years." She explained as Naruto thought on the appearance before snapping his fingers.

"Oh, that must be Vestara!"

"So you know her? Who is she? Is she your girlfriend?" Ayame teased while Naruto blushed at the thought before shaking his head.

"No way nee-chan! I like Sakura-chan and you know it! Vestara is just this girl from outside the village that I met yesterday. She's from this group of warriors that apparently had some kind of vision of me helping them in their fight so she came looking for me to ask for my help."

"I get it. So are you going to? Help her I mean." Ayame asked as she brought out another bowl for the blond. Naruto sighed as he stirred the ramen for a moment.

"I'd like to, honestly. I mean, she apparently traveled a really far distance from this place I'd never even heard of all to get my help but I can't. To help her, I'd have to leave the village and there's no clue when I'd come back, if ever she said. I want to help, but I've got dreams and goals here in Konoha that I've got to do." He told her as Ayame nodded.

"I see. That's kinda sad but it makes sense."

"So you said she was asking about me, right? What'd you tell her?" Naruto asked as Ayame grinned.

"That you're our favorite customer and that this is your favorite place to eat. I even offered her a bowl but she said she wasn't hungry so she left, probably to try and find you or get someone else to help her. Maybe if you see her again you can tell her that she could make it an official request from Hokage-sama. She may not get you, but she could still get her help that way."

"Right! I forgot to tell her that yesterday since she sort of rushed out when I told her no. She did leave saying that she'd convince me though so I'll bet she'll come by again to try and change my mind. I'll tell her then." The teen promised as he started digging into his ramen, Ayame nodding before heading back to help her father while things were calm.

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The next day had Vestara walking towards where she could feel Naruto in the Force. The teen was scowling though as not only was he again surrounded by three of the same four from the day before, but the feeling of the apparent chakra in the atmosphere was irritating her as it clouded some of her senses. She could still feel Naruto clearly enough, but that was because he was easily the strongest Force presence on the planet and because since she had met him face-to-face she had a better grasp on what to look for. Everyone around her though felt muddied and somewhat distant, even people she was only two meters from!

Without Ship boosting her abilities it was difficult to sense anything in the Force here. She had tested it last night and found that the telekinetic and lightning abilities she could use were unaffected but found that anything that involved sensing was diluted and required more concentration and focus. A simple mind nudge was easy enough when she was actually looking at the person but focusing on people nearby or trying to find a specific person was considerably harder.

The girl sighed as she noticed up the street was a large building with a red circle above the door, in the circle being one of the strange written symbols the natives used for writing. She was debating whether to go inside and ask for Naruto or wait outside for him to leave when she felt a large wave of shock come from him through the Force before he and two of the three presences he was with began to leave at a high speed. She only caught a glimpse of his hair and something pink when the doors opened before the three vanished in a burst of speed, making the Sith girls' eyes go wide.

'That speed is unbelievable! I've never seen a human move that fast, even with aid from the Force!' Vestara thought before focusing on Naruto's signature and feeling him nearing on the building she remembered as his home. Had he been heading there normally she would've taken the time to speak with him and hopefully start her plan to turn him to her side but feeling him in such a rush made her change her mind. Now she wanted to know what was going on.

With a sharp turn on her heels Vestara began to head back towards the village gate so that she could meet up with Ship and follow Naruto, both from above and through the Force. If she could see more of what he was doing she could possibly find a better way to convince him to join her. If this was some kind of dangerous mission than she may even get a chance to see how he held up in combat and if he was truly worthy of joining the Sith. Provided he survived, she'd also get a taste of what to work on when training him and what to change. It would be perfect for her.

And if things truly got dire for him, she could step in and 'save' him. It might even be enough to convince him, especially if the planet or his people had anything along the lines of an honor debt or such like the Wookiee race and their life debt tradition.

"Ship, be prepared for an immediate launch. I'm coming back and we are going to follow Naruto stealthily from space. Something important is about to happen and I want to know exactly what." She ordered through the Force. The sentient machine sending an affirmative reply the second she finished. Vestara quickened her pace, the shinobi already showed themselves fast so she had no time to lose.

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"The White Fang!" An old lady shouted as she laid eyes on Kakashi and charged him. In a flash Naruto was shoving her back while an old man came up behind her and calmed her down. The trio from Konoha had rushed, only slowing down to pick up a blond girl in a black kimono on the way, as they headed to Suna to aid them in their time of need. The Akatsuki had kidnapped Gaara, the Godaime Kazekage and jinchuriki to the Ichibi no Tanuki named Shukaku, and the desert village had sent for help from their allies in the woods. Tsunade had sent Kakashi, Sakura and Naruto due to them being readily available and skilled enough while the girl they had encountered on the way was Temari, Gaara's older sister as well as Suna's liaison to Konoha and she was both terrified and infuriated to learn that her brother had been taken.

When they had arrived at the village they were quickly escorted to the hospital where Kankuro, Gaara's brother, had been taken after trying to rescue him from Akatsuki's clutches. From him they had learned that one of the Akatsuki pair sent for Gaara was Akasuna no Sasori, (Sasori of the Red Sands) a local legend that had become a missing ninja shortly before the Third Ninja War and master of Suna's famed puppetry jutsu. Kankuro had also been poisoned and was dying but Sakura was quick to act and was working on a way to save his life. As they waited Baki, the sensei to the three siblings as well as one of Gaara's most trusted advisers, explained the full situation to them.

"We found all the ninja guarding one entrance slaughtered so we assume that's where Akatsuki entered. Gaara fought against a blond that used strange clay figures to fly around and the figures would explode with a single hand sign as well. Considering the jutsu we believe he was from Iwa before joining Akatsuki. The enemy was losing the fight when he conjured a massive figure and tried to drop it on the village. Gaara used his sand to save us all, but it must have left him drained and open because he was attacked right after and knocked out. Kankuro gave chase and apparently caught up to them before the blond left and Sasori defeated him. We don't know where they are now or how long it will take to extract the Ichibi, only that Gaara's running out of whatever time he has left."

"W-wait!" The group turned to Kankuro as he struggled to point to the clenched fist of one of his puppets, salvaged from the battle sight. Kakashi walked over as the fist was opened to reveal a scrap of cloth. "I g-got that from Sasori. You c-can use it to t-track him."

"Pulling victory from the jaws of defeat, just what you'd expect from the ninja of Suna." Kakashi praised as he grabbed the cloth. "Thanks, I'll get my hounds right on this. We'll have Gaara's location soon enough and then we'll head out to get him back."

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"He has yet to leave that building Lady Khai." Ship commented as they were in a low orbit above the planet, the Sith vessel using it's sensors to follow Naruto. Vestara herself had a screen above her showing a live view of the building from above as she kept an eye on him through the Force.

"True, but he should be heading out soon. Considering the rush they were in to reach that place and the anxiety and eagerness in the Force he's giving off, they shouldn't be there for too long. Whatever it is that got him so angry when they first left hasn't been taken care of and he seems like the type to take care of things." The girl responded as she took a drink of water from a bottle she had stolen from Konoha.

It really was too easy to get the civilians of that village to give her things under the belief she paid them. A simple Force nudge and she could have anything she wanted from them. Of course, due to her slight worry about chakra and Force interaction she had been sure to keep her small mental influences limited to the civilians. It really could be bad if she outed herself to soon.

"What was it that caused such a rush though? And what's in that building that's keeping him there?"

"From what I am able to sense the building is filled with the sick and dying. Perhaps it is a hospital."

"But why rush that far so fast simply to visit the sick?" The girl pointed out to her sentient vessel as it remained silent, not having the answer. Vestara narrowed her eyes in thought before sighing and dismissing it. If things didn't happen soon then she'd be angry at having wasted this time over nothing. She could have been learning more about his people instead of this.

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"Hello Naruto-kun." The Konoha group plus Chiyo, the old lady that attacked Kakashi and was apparently Sasori's grandmother, narrowed their eyes in unison as they came across the dark haired figure wearing a black cloak with red clouds on it.

"Itachi Uchiha." Kakashi needlessly stated as all of them knew who he was. After getting the cloth piece from Kankuro's puppet and giving Sakura time to cure him she had made three extra copies of the cure just in case while Kakashi had summoned his special hounds to track the scent. It didn't take long before they picked it up and the group left, Chiyo coming along because she wanted to face her grandson and make him try to see the light but also to bring him down as a fellow puppet master if he wouldn't.

However this new arrival was exactly what they didn't need to slow them down. Itachi was a member of Akatsuki and by showing up like this he confirmed they were on the right track but also would stop them as he alone was enough to take them all on. Plus, his specific jinchuriki target was none other than Naruto. The four prepared themselves to fight as Chiyo recited a piece of advice from the last war about how to take on Uchiha members with the Sharingan and Kakashi revealed his own.

All in all though it was a surprisingly short and easy battle as Itachi first tried trapping them all in illusions but only managed one while Kakashi engaged him and close combat. Once Naruto broke free from the genjutsu he then ran in to help Kakashi and the battle was quickly wrapped up by his Odama Rasengan (Great Ball Spiraling Sphere) crushing the Uchiha down.

Only to reveal it wasn't an Uchiha at all.

"That's a councilman from Suna! How did he get here and use Itachi's jutsu?" Chiyo exclaimed once they saw the body. Sakura gave it a once over with her medical jutsu but couldn't find anything without going into major detail, which would've taken too much time.

"Doesn't matter right now. We need to hurry. That he was here at all means they're trying to stall us. Let's go!" Kakashi ordered as the group left.

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"Another chase. Honestly, you'd think these people would learn to catch their targets before they get away in the first place." Vestara mused as she watched Naruto and Kakashi chase Deidara on a screen. She had originally perked up when she saw them leave the hospital and was surprised to see the white haired one summon out little animals that then began leading the group to their target. When they encountered Itachi she had thought that was their focus and eagerly watched the battle. She was disappointed with Naruto at first as he just seemed to be standing there until one of the others touched him but the battle itself was amazing. Fireballs, copies, dispelling into nothing just to appear in another spot...

These shinobi clearly had great power and versatility.

Then Naruto rushed in and made a copy of himself and used a giant blue sphere to crush the man in one move. It was amazing but what interested Vestara more was the underlying hate that Naruto had suddenly brought forth inside of him and used to fuel the attack. She could feel in the Force that it had come from him and was only a tiny fraction of its source. It made Vestara smile very widely at learning he had something like that at his disposal and more sure than ever to recruit him as her apprentice.

Hate was a very strong and dark emotion, the best for fueling a Sith's connection to the Force for their abilities. The greater your hate, the greater the power you could draw on. What she had felt from him was only a tiny fraction but it reeked of immense darkness being held back by the slightest of margins. If she could get him to use that power her way then he'd be one of the greatest Sith alive. If he could share it, then she could take that title for herself instead.

It had occupied her thoughts while the group had then moved on to their target. She had idly watched them meet another group before splitting up and breaking into a cave. Then a short while later the cave roof had exploded and Naruto had rushed out after another blond human on a large bird, the silver haired man following directly after. She had told Ship to follow them with his camera and not focus on the battle that had broken out behind them as she didn't care. Naruto was her focus and he seemed to have a problem with the people wearing the black and red clouds.

"Lady Khai, about that power the boy used earlier..."

"What Ship?" She asked when her vessel interrupted her thoughts. It had been bugging her a bit so she asked Ship to see if it could find out what it was while she kept her eye on the current happenings.

"While I still do not know what it was, I can safely say that it came from within the boy."

"Of course it did, even I knew that." She retorted with a scowl.

"No, you misunderstand Lady Khai. I mean from withinthe boy. Not his own mind or thoughts but some type of power within his body. I believe he has some type of extra power source that is separate from him yet somehow within him." Ship explained as he scowl went from annoyance to confusion.

"Separate yet within? Like a parasite or symbiont of some sort?" She asked for clarification.

"Something along those lines I believe as I sense no other life within him but his own. Perhaps it is something with the chakra these humans possess?" The meditation sphere offered up and Vestara narrowed her eyes. There were just more and more mysteries popping up around her chosen apprentice and she did not like it.

However Vestara's and Ship's attentions were pulled back down to the planet as both felt Naruto in the Force surge with a massive hatred. Vestara looked on the monitor to see that he was crouched down as a dark red energy began to seep out of his body and cover him, taking the shape of a cloak over him with longer ears at the top and two tails growing out from the base of the spine. "What is that?" The girl wondered aloud as she could feel the hate and malice clearly. The only thing she could compare it to would have to have been either the Grand Lord or Abeloth in potency. It was immense, deep, and ancient.

But what was it?

Before Naruto could do anything with the power the silver haired man ran up and slapped something onto Naruto's head and the energy and feeling receded back within him. Vestara sighed at the missed chance to see him use that power but was now wondering just what it was that Naruto could do.

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"Kakashi will be out of it for a while so if we want to act on the info Sakura got out of Sasori then you'll have to be assigned a temporary jonin leader. I'll go over our roster and pick a suitable one for you as well as a fourth member. Until then, you are dismissed!" Tsunade ordered after they had returned from rescuing Gaara. Sakura and Chiyo had beaten and killed Sasori while Naruto and Kakashi had recovered Gaara's body and forced Deidara off. Afterwards, Chiyo used a forbidden technique to sacrifice her own life and resurrect the fallen young Kage. The group had been met by a contingent of Suna shinobi and reunited with Team Gai before heading back to Suna to rest before their return.

After getting back to Konoha, Sakura shared a bit of information Sasori had given her before dying. In a little over a week, one of his spies in Orochimaru's employ would head to a certain spot to give him info on the snake. Tsunade had decided that they could use this to get some dirt on the rogue Sannin and possibly the missing Uchiha deserter as well, thus her orders for assigning them new members to fill out their missing pieces and then the plan to send them out.

"See ya later Sakura-chan. We'll find us another teammate and get Sasuke back!" Naruto promised as Sakura nodded with a determined grin of her own and the two separated. The blond had barely walked five minutes when he felt something tug his attention and turned to see Vestara gesturing to him from across the street. In fact she mimed poking him and he felt an actual touch on his shoulder as if she had come up and poked him herself. Naruto grinned and walked over to the girl since she seemed to want to talk to him. "Hey Vestara, nice to see you again."

"Yes, good to see you as well. I trust you've been alright?" She replied as he grinned. Honestly Vestara had followed them in space the entire way back to Suna and then back to Konoha before landing and coming into the village proper. She then sought him out and just waited for a good moment to speak with him.

"Yeah. Just got back from a mission and everything."

"I know. I saw it." The girl said, throwing Naruto for a loop.

"Wait, you saw it? How? What d'ya mean you saw it?" He asked as she only grinned.

"Sith techniques." Vestara lied. He didn't need to know she had space-traveling capabilities yet plus this would entice him more with the idea of what she could teach him. "I haven't given up on getting you to join me so I kept an eye on you and saw everything. Who was the dark haired man and what was the red power you called out?" She asked as Naruto's eyes went wide. She could feel his shock in the Force and she was honestly very amused by it before feeling a slight bit of fear and noticing him glance around slightly.

"I... I can't say. That power isn't something I like talking about." The girl frowned and considered her position for a moment before relenting.

"Fair enough. We have just met after all. Perhaps a secret like that is too much too early." Naruto smiled gratefully as she began to walk up the street, the boy following her. "You never answered who the dark haired man was. Judging from the outfit he was an associate of the blond man with the large bird you chased as well. Who are they?"

"Akatsuki." Naruto answered with a scowl. "They're members of a group called Akatsuki, made up of nothing but S-ranked criminals. Sakura-chan managed to take down one with Chiyo-baa-sama's help while the blond got away. The dark haired man is named Itachi Uchiha and if you really saw everything then you should know we didn't actually get him."

"Right, some sort of strange body double that appeared to be him. Is that an uncommon ability among shinobi?" She asked as Naruto shrugged.

"Well, the Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique) is a really basic move that lets you look and sound like someone else. But this was something way more advanced that let the guy have Itachi's moves and abilities too so I don't know what it is. Or was I should say." The blond explained as she nodded her head.

"Interesting. Tell me, what exactly are shinobi capable of as a whole? Do you all follow the same teachings or are there many different styles?" Naruto scratched the back of his head in thought for a moment before answering.

"Well, all shinobi are taught the same basics but then each pretty much go on to learn what they want or what they can. Like, I use clones and the Rasengan, which is that blue energy ball I used in case you were wondering." He added getting her to nod before he continued. "My teammate Sakura uses a trick to give her super strength and she knows medical jutsu so she can heal people. And my sensei Kakashi is famous as the 'man with a thousand jutsus' so he can use a lot of different moves, though he uses lightning a lot more than anything else." Naruto noted as he paused in thought. "Mainly though, shinobi are broken into three types I guess. Taijutsu, who are hand to hand experts of combat. Ninjutsu, who use various different abilities to attack. And then genjutsu, people who use illusions to trick their enemy and attack. There's a couple other small styles here and there but those are the big three."

"So you would be a mix of this taijutsu and ninjutsu correct? I saw you use other abilities but you still went in close to battle." The girl guessed as Naruto grinned and nodded.

"Yep! I'm mostly a ninjutsu user but I still prefer to fight up close like a taijutsu user. I'm pretty bad at genjutsu though so I struggle with those kinds of fighters." He admitted as she nodded.

"Perhaps I could help you there then?"

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked as he was shocked by her offer and she only smiled lightly.

"I'm willing to teach you a couple small abilities of the Sith as an offer of good faith. To let you see what you'd be getting into if you joined me and my cause. You may refuse of course but if you have trouble with illusions then I can teach you a way to counter them." She offered as he narrowed his eyes.

"I told you I can't join the Sith if it means leaving Konoha behind Vestara. You could go to the Hokage and request help as a mission and she'd assign some ninja to help you out. You may not get me if she feels I'm better needed here but you'd still get help in you fight." Naruto tried to convince her as she only scowled.

"My vision had you, nobody else. So you are the one I'm going to convince. I don't want anyone else and I don't need anyone else." She admitted as he sighed. "Now would you like my help or not?" The blond only rubbed the back of his head as he made up his mind.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Using the Force is primarily a mental ability. We visualize what we want and then call upon the Force to enact it, usually through gestures but masters are capable of doing it all by thought alone." Vestara explained as Naruto listened. The blond had agreed and then led her to one of the village's training grounds where she proceeded to explain how he could tap into the Force as it was the key to every ability the Sith were capable of. "While you are capable of drawing on the Force through a calm mind, emotion draws out greater power and is how the Sith do things. What I'm going to do is teach you to sense the minds and thoughts of others while shielding your own. Not only is this a useful skill, should you find yourself trapped in an illusion, you should be able to simply reach out with your mind to confirm your reality and possibly break the illusion entirely if you can attack the caster's mind."

"So how do I do this?" Naruto asked, as it sounded like a very useful ability to him. Vestara only smiled and took a seat before motioning for him to sit across from her.

"I'm going to touch your mind first so you know what it feels like and what I feel like. Then I want you to gently try to do the same to me. It's best to be looking at your target when beginning. Again, a master is greater as they could simply sense your mind nearby and focus on it to affect you." She told him as he sat down. She then closed her eyes as Naruto waited. The blond was thinking nothing was happening before he started to feel something. At first he thought it was nothing more than the feeling that something was off, what experienced shinobi referred to as situational awareness or their battle instincts and a 'sixth sense'. But then the feeling grew clearer as Vestara applied a bit more pressure. He couldn't get anything in the way of thoughts or impressions outside of a determination he assumed was to either teach him the technique or to convince him to join her.

Probably both actually.

After a couple seconds the feeling retreated just as it came and Vestara opened her eyes. "Now you try. Focus on me, focus on the feeling you just had and try to project that to me."

"Alright." The blond muttered before staring at Vestara and then closing his eyes. While no sensor, he hadn't felt any chakra in what she had just done so he knew he couldn't call on his own to do this. Naruto focused on Vestara right in front of him as he tried to push his mind out to touch hers but knew he was having difficulty. He couldn't feel anything happening despite how hard he focused. His face scrunched up in concentration for a while before he let out a deep breath and shook his head. "I don't think I'm getting it." He admitted as he opened his eyes to see Vestara with a neutral expression as she nodded.

"My father taught me this the same way and I found it difficult as well at first. Tapping into the Force for the first time is usually the most difficult, doubly so for any type of mind ability. However, I want you to try again. A Sith does not give up and while you aren't one yet, I know you aren't the type to give up just from the two encounters we've had. Try again." She ordered as Naruto nodded as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes again. She was right after all, it didn't take much time with him to know he wasn't the kind of guy who would back down from a challenge. And this was only the latest one for him to overcome. The blond focused again as he tried to will his mind to touch Vestara's but again nothing was happening.

Naruto kept trying for a few minutes before getting a bit frustrated and growling lightly when suddenly he felt something different as a strange feeling overcame him and he could suddenly see a shape in front of him, even with his eyes close. Slowly he focused on the shape as it became clearer as Vestara and he grinned. Though his eyes were closed, he could tell Vestara was likely smiling due to the amused feeling she gave off. "I think I've got it!"

"Yes you do. I can feel you very faintly trying to touch my mind." She admitted as he opened his eyes to see her smirking. "It was weak but it was there."

"Yeah. I just got frustrated how I couldn't seem to do it when suddenly it felt different and I could... I guess the best way to put it would be I saw you. Kind of." Naruto explained as she nodded.

"That's exactly what it's like once you master the ability. To see your surroundings with nothing but your mind, that is the highest level of this power." Vestara told him before raising a finger. "Now, notice what you just admitted and what I said about drawing on the Force before we started." Naruto looked at her in confusion, trying to piece together what she was getting at before she rolled her eyes and decided to explain. "Your frustration. I said that it's through emotions a Sith draws greater strength from the Force. You couldn't do it until you became angry at yourself for be unable. That fueled your connection to the Force and it responded by granting your desire, to touch my mind."

"Oh. Right. So I've got to feel it, not just think it. Right?"

"Exactly. Feel, don't think." She taught ass she stood up, Naruto following a second later. "This is small, but with practice you can grow stronger in this skill and use it in ways I haven't mentioned."

"You mean you can do more with this?" Naruto asked as she only smirked and nodded.

"Yes, but I'll keep them secret for now. Perhaps you'll discover some of them before I decide to reveal them to you." She tempted as Naruto grinned at the unsaid challenge. "You've taken you're first step into a larger world Naruto. Now what are you going to do from here?"