(The Akatsuki - 40 BBY)
'Focus, focus, focus' Those were the words he kept repeating in his head, trying to use the Force. They have already been traveling for a few days, avoiding any significant routes and flying slowly while still in Mandalorian space. While Death Watch wouldn't know he was off-world yet, there was still a chance of one of their ships finding them. Sensing a presence, he opened his eyes.
"I can tell something is on your mind, Naruto. Tell me, what is it that troubles you?" Tarre spoke. "We can't start your training if you are not focused."
"I just worry about back home. While I know that we have to travel, I can't help but worry about Satine and Bo-Katan." Naruto said, the worry palpable in his eyes. It was understandable; he was only an eight-year-old. "What if Death Watch were to attack? What if-"
"Calm down, Naruto! None of that will happen." Tarre started to explain to the scared child. "Death Watch is still recovering from the Civil War. It will be years before they regain a semblance of power. Don't forget, many clans spit apart before leaving Mandalorian Space completely. There were entire clans who left. House Vizsla itself is fragmented. The power they gain will be nothing like before, even with the Darksaber."
He was right. After the death of Tor Vizsla, after the Mandalorian Civil War, House Vizsla lost power. Everyone lost power. Very few clans stayed whole but fled from Death Watch while the rest became divided, some staying, most fleeing. The last he heard, many sought a place among the remaining True Mandalorians.
"Fine," Naruto huffed. "But you still haven't told me how to use these Holocrons. Saying to use the Force isn't helping. I can barely use enough of the Force to open a door, and these certainly aren't doors." Since leaving Mandalore, Naruto was slowly breaking his shell and acting his age. Closing his eyes, Naruto started taking slow, calm breaths to strengthen his focus. "So, how am I supposed to open these things?"
Tarre just gave an exasperated sigh at the impatience of the child in front of him. "To start, be patient. Impatience here will only lead to more failure. Now, feel the Holocron, every piece of it is important." Looking down at Naruto, he noticed that some of the corners of the blue cubes slowly turned. 'He learns fast. Not even I learned how to do this so fast, and I was considered a prodigy.' Tarre thought.
As time passed, more of the Holocron in front of Naruto moved. With a click, the final corner of the Holocron rotated and a glow emitted from the cube. Both child and specter looked on with interest as a figure started to form from the light. When the figure was fully formed, it was a holographic form of Jedi Master Yoda.
"Hmm. My Holocron, you have." Yoda spoke. "Explain you will, who you are."
"What?" Was Naruto's simple response. He met Yoda a few days ago and didn't understand why the hologram asked who he was.
"Naruto," Tarre spoke to get his attention. "This version of Master Yoda doesn't know who you are. It only knows information up to the point of when Master Yoda last gave it new information."
With a nod of understanding, Naruto began to explain to the hologram the events that happened. It knew about the vision given to the Jedi Masters, so Yoda must have updated it relatively recently. With some extra input from Tarre that Naruto soon realized the hologram couldn't see, it was agreed that Naruto could learn from the Holocron.
"Start, we will." Yoda began. "Learn what the Force is, you must. An ally, the Force is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, binds us, penetrates us. Luminous beings we are, not this crude matter we stand on."
Silence is what met the Jedi Master. While intelligent for his age, Naruto couldn't comprehend what the wise Grand Master was trying to convey. "I am sorry, but I do not understand what you are trying to say, Master."
"The Force, everything it is. The stars, planets, us, everything," he hologram explained. "We are the Force, and the Force is us."
Naruto gained a thoughtful look before giving a reply. "So, the Force is everywhere then. But if it's everywhere, then why can't everyone use it?" In his mind, it made no sense. The Force didn't make sense even with what Tarre had told him.
"Very few, chosen by the Force to use its power." Yoda began. "Powerful the Force is. But dangerous it is when used by the wrong people. Now, understand, do you?"
"I think I do. So, what do I do now?" Naruto asked.
"Still not understand the Force, you do. But even I do not understand the Force. Understand differently, everyone does." Yoda explained. Naruto still had much to learn about the Force. He wouldn't be able to understand it just because someone said a few words to him.
Seeing the confusion on Naruto's face, Tarre decided to speak, "Naruto, the Force is something that has no solid understanding. There is always a new discovery to be made from it, either from the light side or the dark side. I doubt even the Celestials know everything about the Force."
Naruto nodded until he heard the last thing Tarre said. "Wait, Celestials? Who are the Celestials?" He was curious. Never in his life had he heard of the term Celestials.
"They are ancient, immortal beings that are very powerful in the Force. They are known as the Father, the Son, and the Daughter. But that is a tale for another time." Tarre stated. Naruto went to ask more about them, but Tarre just waved him off, and Holocron Yoda began to speak again.
"Discuss later, possibly. Now focus," Yoda stated. He looked around the room they were situated in and grunted. "There are three main aspects. Control, Sense, Alter." Naruto seemed to turn confused at the three aspects. "Focus, young Naruto. In time, explain I will. You need to be patient." Yoda admonished.
"Control is internal. Necessary to recognize the Force in us, it is. With it, you can use the Force to your best abilities. Sense is external. The ability to sense the Force around you. Sense those around you, you will. Alter, only possible if the previous are mastered. But, possible to learn it is by accident. Very dangerous accidents. Manipulation it is." Yoda stopped as Naruto absorbed the information.
He could understand the basics of what was told to him, but he wondered why Alter was so dangerous. Control was the Force inside yourself, while Sense was the opposite; it was outside. Alter seemed easy enough to him, but then he remembered the mention of dangerous accidents. Nope, he would stay away from that for now. He very much liked staying alive and in one piece.
As he delved deeper into his meditation, he didn't notice the objects in the room start to float. 'Strong in the Force, this one is,' Yoda thought. It wasn't long before Yoda and Tarre noticed Naruto begin to levitate a few inches off the ground. Then they saw something. Naruto began to frown as sweat gathered on his brow. They knew what this was. The Force was showing Naruto a vision.
All around him were stars. Confusion and apprehension were all he felt. Confusion for he did not know what he was meant to be seeing, and apprehension for the last vision the Force showed him gave him a glimpse of a great darkness devouring the galaxy. "What is going on?" Naruto questioned out loud. He got his answer in the form of a strong presence in the Force before he was thrown through the expanse of space he was floating in.
As he was flung through space, he tried to look at the planets he passed but failed to recognize any. The speed at which he was traveling was too much for his eyes to comprehend his surroundings. Before long, he appeared to be in the outer orbit of a planet. It was similar to a mixture of Kashyyk and Coruscant. It was primarily covered in extensive forests and swamps but had a few large cities that gave a similar feeling to the ecumenopolis. The most defining feature was that the cities comprised multiple large spires reaching into the planet's upper atmosphere.
A powerful pull grabbed him through the Force and yanked him towards the most prominent spire on the planet's surface. As he got closer, he feared hitting the clearly reinforced wall before he phased through it. After feeling his body to ensure he was still in one piece, Naruto looked at the room he appeared in. It was like anything he had ever seen. The technology seemed light years ahead of anything else in the galaxy.
After taking in the appearance of his surroundings, Naruto looked to his left to see a large suspended bridge bathed in a golden light. Large guards—he assumed—covered from head to toe in golden armor were on each side, with only glowing, blue eyes visible through their helmets' visors. Each carried a large golden shield with the same color scheme of the armor. What confused him was the lightsaber-looking pikes that each armored figure was brandishing. The hum of the blue blades was unmistakable.
'How could someone outside of the Jedi Order and the old Sith Empire have lightsabers?' Naruto questioned in his mind. While he was thinking about this, he finally looked towards the bridge's other end. A large, golden throne sat upon an equally large dais. Focusing more on the throne, Naruto saw a figure sitting there, seemingly looking right at him. 'Is he waiting for me?' he asked himself. He received his answer when the person gave a subtle nod as if he had read his mind.
Unsure of what to do, Naruto looked around for a possible exit from this vision. He didn't know who this figure was, and his last Force vision didn't end well. Once again, as if reading Naruto's mind, the man beckoned for Naruto to come forward. When he still didn't move, an intense pressure attacked Naruto's body, forcing him to his knees as he broke out in a sweat. He didn't need to be told where the source of it was. His danger senses and connection to the Force pointed to the figure on the throne.
Walking down the length of the bridge, Naruto was able to get a better look at who was sitting on the throne. Sat upon the throne was a human man with grey hair and a full beard. Naruto was intrigued by the clothing he wore, as it was in the same colors as his own House. He wore uniquely designed white armor with gold accents on his torso. A long black cape hung from his pauldrons while his lower half was covered by a robe that hid his lower armor.
Once Naruto was at the base of the dais, he was shocked by the power that seemed to come off the man in waves. The three Jedi Masters he met didn't give off this feeling of pure dominance that permeated the room. Feeling that the man wouldn't like any kind of weakness, Naruto spoke up as clearly as he could. "Excuse me, sir. Who are you, and where am I?" He received no response, just the same emotionless look he had received since he first noticed him.
While unnerved by the look he was getting, his protectors had taught Naruto to keep his emotions under control for the most part. This look was nothing compared to the looks on the faces in his last vision. Those looks continued to haunt him in his nightmares.
"My name is not important," the man spoke. "You may call me ▅▃▄▃▅▂▄, if anything." His voice lacked any emotion. While he appeared to be looking at Naruto, it felt more like he was looking through him. "Now, what is your name, young Mandalorian?"
Naruto was too shocked to answer the man whose name he was supposed to hear but couldn't. His nerves were starting to take over from being in this man's presence. The man, knowing he was Mandalorian, surprised him, though. He never mentioned where he came from.
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, heir of House Uzumaki of Mandalore. But I'm sorry, I couldn't hear your name." Naruto finally replied. Once again, he was subjected to silence as the man stared at him. His gaze seemed to become more intense until he hummed in what Naruto thought was satisfaction.
"It appears that they won't let you know who I am, interesting. But I digress. You are powerful in the Force. So powerful that even I was intrigued by your presence." The man stated. "Those Jedi may have started you on your journey and training in the Force, but you require a proper teacher."
'Proper teacher?' Naruto questioned himself. 'I have Tarre to help me and the holograms from the Holocrons.'
"That Force spirit and those Holocrons won't be enough." The man's voice broke him from his thoughts. He shouldn't be surprised that the man knew what he was thinking; he was clearly powerful in the Force. "While they may be able to help you in the technical aspects of the Force, they can't help you put the practice to application."
He had a point Naruto conceded. None of the Mandalorians with him were Force-sensitive, Tarre was a Force spirit, and the Holocrons only provided recorded teachings with holograms. But where was this man going with this? He didn't even know his name still?
"When the time is right, you will arrive here. I will personally train you in the ways of the Force. Show you things you never thought possible."
"Where is here?" Naruto asked. The one thing he should have asked when he arrived here, he didn't ask. 'The others can't know about this. I would be a laughing stock, and Tarre would find a way to punish me,' he thought to himself.
"This is the ▅▃▄▃▅▂▄ in what you know as Wild Space. I suggest making your way to the planet of Jedha." The armored man answered.
'What? Why can't I hear him again? Plus, if they are in Wild Space near Jedha, that's on the complete other side of the galaxy.' Naruto thought. 'This is going to take me forever to get there. We have to travel slow to stay off Death Watch's radar
already.'
The man must have been reading his mind again as Naruto was sure he saw some kind of cruel amusement in his eyes. Suddenly he jerked his head and looked out the glass dome. "It appears that your time here is up. I await your arrival, but I do hope that you are stronger by the time you get here." He then looked at Naruto, and he saw it. Naruto saw his eyes pulse the same sulphuric yellow he saw in his first vision. A powerful Force blast hit him, and he was thrown out of the vision.
"Aargh!" Naruto let out a grunt as he impacted against the wall of the room he was meditating in. Opening his eyes, Naruto saw the curious face of Yoda and the slightly worried gaze of Tarre. "Well," Naruto groaned out. "I think I know where we need to go now. We aren't stopping our trip at Dorin now; we have to head to Jedha."
That drew curious looks from both Master Jedi. "Why Jedha Naruto? Did the Force show you something?" Tarre asked. Naruto then went into telling the Jedi what he saw. From the highly advanced planet, the people in armor holding lightsaber pikes, and the armored man.
"He said that he was to train me since with you two, I can't do anything that physical with my training. He said that when we get to Jedha, he will reach out to me again. Then he forced me out of the vision." Naruto explained. His head hurt from being forced out of the vision so harshly.
"Jedha, hmm," Yoda's hologram spoke. "Strong in the Force, it is. But this man you speak of. His eyes, the yellow color. Eyes of the Sith, they are." He closed his eyes before he spoke again. "Be careful around him, you must. The Sith, treachery follows them everywhere. The Sith Lord Darth Malak betrayed his long-time friend and Master, Darth Revan, for more power. Doubt, I do not, that this man is a Dark Lord of the Sith. He will do the same."
Naruto felt an invisible weight settle upon his shoulders. He never expected to run into a Sith so soon. While he and Tarre expected that he would one day, they didn't expect that to be until the time his first vision showed him. What did the Sith want with him anyway? He's just a child from Mandalore with only a basic understanding of the Force, if you could call it that. His training had just started; all he knew was the beginning of some lightsaber combat forms.
"Naruto," Tarre spoke up. "While this is dangerous, and I am unsure if what I am going to say is wise, maybe this isn't so bad." Naruto was about to interrupt him before Tarre continued. "Before you freak out, let me explain. This could help you greatly. We currently have no one to teach you about the dark side. You can't learn to balance the force without knowing the dark side. You didn't have a proper teacher, so the Force has led you to one or led one to you."
"Correct he is," Yoda spoke. "The Force works in mysterious ways. Guiding you, it is. Accept its help and guidance, and you will succeed." Naruto listened to what they told him, but it did little to calm his nerves. That man, the power he exuded, Naruto feared him. But with no other option, Naruto agreed with them, only after being reminded that meeting this armored man was some time away.
Before Naruto could speak, a knock sounded from the other side of the door. "Who is it?"
"It's Ikaris, Lord Naruto." A male voice spoke.
"I think we should continue my training later, Master Yoda," Naruto spoke. Getting an agreement from Yoda, Naruto closed the Holocron and put it in his personal chest. "You can enter now, Ikaris."
In walked a Mandalorian wearing the white and gold armor of House Uzumaki, but his paint patterns differed from the regular warriors. Ikaris was a part of a group of ten Mandalorian Warriors who earned the name the Eternals during the Civil War. He was well built and stood at an impressive height of 6'2"; removing his helmet revealed fair skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. "Lord Naruto, Phastos has informed us that we will be arriving upon Borgo Prime in a few hours."
"Thank you for letting me know, Ikaris. Is there anything I will need to bring?" Naruto asked. He was confused when his servant/protector gave him a blank look and released an exasperated sigh. "What?"
Ikaris let out a light chuckle. "Well, for starters, you are going to need to change clothes. We bought you those cheaper outfits for a reason." Seeing the confused look on his young charge's face, he knew he needed to explain more. "Naruto, you are dressed like a high-class noble. Where we are going, those clothes will attract a lot of unwanted attention. Something we are already going to attract attention due to the fact of our armor."
Now he was even more confused. Naruto had always worn the clothes he had as Satine always bought them or had them made. "I always wear these clothes, Ikaris; what is wrong with them?" While no one will deny Naruto's intelligence, he still had much to learn about society outside of Mandalore.
"Hahh," Ikaris sighed. "Naruto, look at it this way. With the clothes you are wearing now, someone will mug you for money. The clothes we bought you, you are going to blend in more. People are more likely to think of you as a foundling than the heir to House Uzumaki." Ikaris explained. Naruto seemed to understand as he nodded along. "Now, I am heading to the lounge. Get changed and meet me there."
Naruto nodded as he walked over to his trunk by his bed. Grabbing his new clothes, he took a better look at them. The ensemble of clothes consisted of a black tunic, a hooded grey coat, a heavier black coat, black pants, and black boots. In his opinion, Naruto thought it looked like Ikaris bought the clothes off a street stand. Getting dressed, he headed towards the lounge of the Akatsuki.
Walking into the lounge of his ship, Naruto was greeted by the appearance of Ikaris and nine other Mandalorians wearing the colors of his house. "What are you guys talking about?" Naruto asked as he walked over to the group of unmasked Mandalorians. He sat between a man and a woman. The woman stood at 5'10" and was often described as statuesque, her fair skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes adding to this look. In contrast, the man was herculean and stood at an impressive 6'5" while having tan skin, black hair, and brown eyes. They were Thena and Gilgamesh.
"We were discussing what we were going to do when we land planetside," Thena spoke. She was looking at a datapad and reading something he couldn't make out. "Borgo Prime is a known shadowport in the Outer Rim. It is dangerous and has enough criminal activity to be acknowledged by the Pirate Queen Maz Kanata."
"Pirate Queen Maz Kanata? Who is that?" Naruto questioned. He was a little annoyed about all the new information that he had forced upon him in the last few hours. Now he had to deal with a Pirate Queen? Maybe he should have gone with the Jedi.
"She isn't important right now," Ikaris stated. "What is important is keeping you safe and meeting with other warriors of House Uzumaki. As you know, for the past year, every Mandalorian of House Uzumaki was sent off of Mandalore in waves. While we took the Akatsuki, they all left in Gauntlet-class and Fang-class ships. About three-fifths of our forces are currently on Borgo Prime, Carlac, and Dantooine."
"The other two-fifths have yet to set up operations anywhere," Thena spoke up. "So far, they have just been searching for Mandalorians who aren't loyal to Pre Vizsla and Death Watch. I have thought that we could send them to Iri-"
"Jedha," Naruto interrupted her. He received questioning looks from the Eternals, so he tried to explain. "Just have them meet us on Jedha. We are going to be traveling a while to avoid Death Watch. So have them meet us on Jedha when the time comes." It was clear that the Eternals knew he wasn't telling everything. Before one of them could question him further, an Eternal on the far left spoke.
"I will start to contact the proper people and let them know. Plus, it is out of the way and will be somewhere to lay low," a man said. This was Eros. He was well built like Ikaris and stood at 6'1"; he drew similarities to Naruto with his tan skin and red hair, but he had blue eyes. "Come on, Phastos. You can start preparing to bring us into orbit. We must be close enough to Borgo Prime by now to exit hyperspace."
Phastos had dark skin, black hair, brown eyes, and a full beard. He was herculean in stature like Gilgamesh and stood at 6'3". "You're probably right," Phastos answered with a shrug. "Oh, while the rest of you are still planning, here is the list of supplies that I need. When we get to a spaceport, we will need to purchase them at some point." He then handed a datapad to Thena, who took it and transferred the data to the datapad she was already carrying.
After conversing for a few more minutes, the Mandalorians retrieved their weapons. Borgo Prime was dangerous, and if what the members of House Uzumaki already here told them was true, they would need these weapons. Other Mandalorian Clans being here could be good or bad. Who were they loyal to?
(Borgo Prime - Haven Prime)
After gaining permission to land in the Haven Prime spaceport settlement, the Akatsuki was able to land. Many of Haven Prime's inhabitants stared as the unknown ship landed in the hanger. It was clear that whoever owned the ship was someone not to be messed with. Ten Mandalorians walked down the ship's ramp in a protective formation around a young child.
A Gran walked up to the group as they descended. "Hello, travelers. My name is Kel Motto. I am the mechanic of this hangar." Not receiving a reply from the group, Kel Motto tried once again. "If you would like, my droids and I could work on your shi-"
He was cut off when a virboblade was leveled at his throat. "If you touch the ship, it will be the last thing you ever touch." One of the larger Mandalorians said. A voice stopped him just as he was about to push the blade further.
"Phastos, I know you love the ship, but don't kill someone over it," Ikaris said. "Now put the blade away. Let's go." With a huff, Phastos sheathed his blade. Kel Moto stumbled back as the group pushed past him. Before he could speak, the Gran was knocked out by a pipe thrown at him. "See, much easier and less blood to draw attention. For being one of the smartest among us, you get violent when it comes to others touching your tech and machines." Ikaris said to Phastos with his arm extended, who grunted in response.
Walking through the streets of Haven Prime, the group received many looks ranging from curiosity, fear, and indifference. Many races in the galaxy still feared Mandalorians, but the symbol of House Uzumaki alone was enough to drive off almost anyone. From being known as close confidants of Mandalore the Ultimate during the Mandalorian Wars to destroying all Death Watch they came across during the Mandalorian Civil Wars. There were always a few who tried to prove themselves or earn a name by attacking them; none survived long enough to attack.
"Where are we going, Thena?" Naruto asked. He looked around his surroundings and noticed how the area looked. The only comparison he had was of a slum he had sometimes seen on the Holonet. All of the buildings were filthy and miserable, whether they be stores, bars, or homes. A different group of thugs appeared around every corner.
"We are going to meet up with the Mandalorians we have on this planet, but we will be staying here for a few days. It should be enough time to get everyone organized. But I suggest you stay with Gilgamesh and me. You never know when someone might try something."
Naruto didn't understand why she wanted him to be so close to them until he entirely took in his surroundings. Everyone around him that wasn't a Mandalorian was a criminal in some way. He wouldn't be truly safe on this planet, but after his recent vision, he didn't think he would ever be safe again. With one last look around, he got further within the group as they continued to their destination.
If the group were to look back, they would have seen an armored figure on a distant roof aiming an IQA-11 blaster rifle at the Uzumaki heir. The figure wasn't wearing just any armor, though; it was Mandalorian armor painted gunmetal grey with a blue body suit and highlights. While the colors wouldn't indicate anything, the signature Shriek-hawk gave away their allegiance to Death Watch.
The Mandalorian appeared to be ready to take a shot as their finger rested on the trigger, but it was for naught. A vibroblade soon protruded from the back of his neck, going through his throat. They never had a chance to make a sound before they died. The blade was removed as the body became limp on the roof. The killer being another Mandalorian in black armor and body suit with silver highlights, bearing the sigil of a coiled Vexis. "It seems I must inform Lord Kast that it is time," a male voice sounded from the helmet.
(Haven Prime - Outskirts)
Naruto couldn't believe the amount of ships that he walked past. All were either Gauntlet-class or Fang-class, just as Ikaris said. The sigil of House Uzumaki was proudly shown on all the ships, and it wasn't long until Mandalorians bearing the same sigil started to appear around them as well. While it was said that House Uzumaki and its vassals made up an entire third of all Mandalorians in the Civil War, he had never seen so many in one place. Currently spread throughout Borgo Prime were 70,000 members of House Uzumaki, all waiting for orders from the Eternals on what to do.
When they finally reached the center of the Mandalorians at Haven Prime, Naruto noticed that a building was surrounded by defenses and had plenty of guards as well. It wasn't hard for him to determine that this was some sort of headquarters that was being used by those in charge of the warriors here. As they neared the building, about twenty Mandalorians lined up on both sides of the main door saluting him.
It was only thanks to past experiences and teachings that he didn't shy away from the attention. As they got closer to the door, Naruto noticed a surplus amount of Mandalorians using long-range weapons on the roof of the building and the erected towers around it. He couldn't help but wonder why, but maybe that was the reason why the twenty warriors formed an honor guard at the door.
After entering the building, two warriors quickly led them to a conference room. All noise ceased when those in the room noticed them, but that didn't stop the oppressive sensation that Naruto felt. Being in a room with so many powerful Warriors would do it to anyone, especially when a powerful empath like Naruto was there. He quickly tried his best to block out the overbearing emotions and tried a breathing exercise that Tarre taught him long ago.
Within a few minutes, he was accustomed to the emotions, with Tarre helping block them out as much as his astral form would allow. He turned to Ikaris, who was staring at him and nodded, knowing he was comfortable.
"Ok, now that we are here, it is time that we start planning for the future of not just House Uzumaki but all of its vassal clans. This is for Mandalore and the rest of the galaxy!" Ikaris exclaimed. There was a roar of agreement from the gathered military leaders. "Now, Cassius, you sent word that you have information for us. Please explain."
A man standing at around 5'8" with tan skin and black hair stood up. On the shoulder of his gray armor was a symbol in the shape of the ancient Star Forge. This was the sigil of Clan Ordo that Canderous Ordo, Mandalore the Preserver, chose. Cassius was the split image of his ancestor.
"Yes, I have received word from my clansmen in the other spaceports. They have spotted Mandalorians not of House Uzumaki or its vassals," Cassius stated. He gained questionable looks at that. It wasn't uncommon to find unaffiliated Mandalorians, but in current times they needed to be cautious. Cassius then said, "They bore the sigil of House Kast and Clan Rook."
That brought everyone to attention. Thena and Gilgamesh moved to stand on each side of Naruto. Everyone in the room knew of House Kast and its affiliation to Death Watch. Now they needed to find out why they were on Borgo Prime in the first place. House Kast was known to be staunch supporters of any cause they joined. No one in the room thought it likely that they would abandon Death Watch.
Some of the clan leaders in attendance murmured to each other, discussing possible reasons why they would be there. It wasn't until Ikaris spoke again that they stopped.
"Well, it seems that while we are here, we will all need to gather information on them. We need to know the locations of their forces, how large of a force they have, and most importantly, why they are here?" Ikaris stated, "It isn't a coincidence that they are here at the same time that we are."
"Now," Thena spoke up. "Is there anything else I f importance we need to be made aware of? Speak now before this meeting is dismissed." The Mandalorians seemed to mull over what they wanted to say before Cassius spoke up once more.
"Well, I have been hearing word about a large group of Weequay pirates. They call themselves the Ohnaka Gang, and word has it if they find profit in something, they go for it." He stated with a look that showed he knew more than he was telling.
"Why is that important? Some pirates are not going to be of worry to us." Thena answered back.
A smirk appeared on the Ordo's face. "Well, I've heard that they have caused some trouble for Death Watch since the Civil War ended. Rumor has it that before his death, Tor Vizsla put a bounty on the captain of the gang, a Hondo Ohnaka."
That interested everyone in the room, well, almost everyone. Naruto was busy trying not to laugh at the fact that the powerful House Vizsla was having trouble with a gang of pirates. Others noticed this and smirked as they too found it laughable, but they had better control over their reactions. They also felt relieved that their young lord was able to show his emotions like this; they all knew about when he suddenly cut himself off from showing emotions to pretty much everyone. Only the Kryze sisters could get him to act his actual age, not the version of him that acted like a hardened adult.
"Hmm, it seems that they will be of interest, but that is for another time," Thena stated. "Now I think this meeting is over. I don't know how long we will all be on this planet, but over the next few days, we will have much to discuss." With that said, everyone filed out. Eros led Naruto to sleeping quarters as it was getting late, and he needed to meditate with Tarre.
Naruto got into a meditative pose on the floor and took calming breaths. He was nervous that the Force would drag him into another vision. While he agreed that the visions helped him, the overwhelming presence of that armored man still shook him. Now, all he wanted was to begin delving into the first main aspect of the Force, Control.
"Relax, Naruto. For now, put those visions behind you. You will not be able to train in the Force if you don't." Tarre advised his young charge. He couldn't allow him to be held back by fear, while reasonable, didn't need to be dwelled upon. In his opinion, Naruto needed to focus on the here and now. "Take some slow breathes to calm yourself."
With a slight nod, Naruto began to go over what Master Yoda had told him. 'Control is internal. It is necessary to recognize the Force within us. By training in Control, one can use the Force to the best of their abilities.' Naruto tried to think about what Master Yoda meant by the Force within but couldn't think about where to start. He stayed in meditation, thinking about it for a few hours before Tarre spoke to him.
"You take Grandmaster Yoda's words too literally, Naruto," the Mandalorian Jedi spoke. He noticed that Naruto had stopped meditating and was looking at him. He continued by saying, "Control for any being, Force-sensitive or not, is important. You must first be able to control your own body before you can control the Force. I started you on this when your training with me started two years ago, so it will be easier to strengthen your control on the Force, but you are still not at the level to even attempt to control it yet."
"But I have used the Force before, Tarre. Why can't we start now?" The child asked. Tarre was once again reminded that Naruto was still only eight years old. His maturity at such a young age made it hard to tell sometimes. But he knew he needed to explain before Naruto got ahead of himself.
"You have used it in uncontrolled bursts. That also only happened when Duchess Satine or Bo-Katan was around you." He saw Naruto about to speak up but continued. "The pranks you pulled on the Eternals or Mandalorian Protectors to amuse the Duchess and her sister don't count." Naruto ceased all attempts to speak at that.
"So what am I going to be doing then to train?" Naruto asked the spirit. He immediately felt a bit of dread as he knew a devious smirk was on his Master/friend's face. 'I think Tarre is up to something I'm not going to like. Maybe having him follow Bo and me around was a bad idea,' the young Mandalorian thought.
An eerie light seemed to be cast over the spirit, which confused Naruto as they were in a room with no windows. "Well, now that you ask…." Naruto, at that moment, knew he should have tried to stay with one of the Eternals. Maybe Sersi would have protected him from his coming doom.