Author's Note: Okay, so I figure there is probably no one else reading this any longer, seeing as it took me forever to update it, but I wanted to keep going for it because I really do love this story and hope that it turns out in my mind like I'm hoping that it will. I enjoyed the scene with Vrook, but will understand if people think it's silly. I wasn't sure if I should add it, but I decided to. His relationship with Vrook is important to the story, after all. Regardless, I'm sorry for the long wait! Please let me know what you're thinking! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Warnings: Language, OOCness and un-beta'd.

Word Count: 5,157

"Revan?"

The dark haired young man looks up at the old Master. Vrook has his hands folded neatly in front of him as he stands over the previously meditating young Knight. He's been trying hard to center himself with all of the recent battles going on between the Republic and the Mandalorians. It's progressively getting harder and harder as the days go on. He's been spending his time altering between deep meditation and looking through the archives trying to find some way to at least temper the input from the Force. Or better ways of gaining control over the intensity that comes with him.

Revan has become somewhat hated in the temple. He's constantly seeing images of burning worlds and entire planets being either enslaved, or slaughtered, like animals. Sometimes he wakes himself up out of a vision to feel the entire academy shaking around him. He knows that people are trying to be understanding that he doesn't have a lot of control over it, but it annoys him to no end. No one gets any sleep when he's throwing things around his room - which is the least of it - or shaking the foundation of the academy - which is probably the worst.

When Revan was Itachi, things came to him pretty easily, same as Revan, but the Force is an entirely different beast than just chakra. It's not just the energy within oneself. It's the energy that interconnects the entirety of the galaxy. People, places, animals, planets, and even events. Everything is neatly intertwined with one another thousands of years in the making. The chakra network within them was deep and complex, but the Force was on a massive scale beyond natural understanding. No matter how many half answers he finds about his questions, they are never really satisfactory.

It wasn't always about the Jedi and their teachings which conflicted with his own beliefs and training as a shinobi - as if that really mattered at this point - but about the Force in general. Everything that they know about the Force is surrounded by thousands of questions. There was so much that they didn't know. The Force worked not only in mysterious ways, it worked in it's own ways.

Nothing is above and beyond the Force's abilities. It is omnipotent in all forms. It's mysteries are limitless and endless.

"Master Vrook..." Revan says softly, looking out over the field from high up on the rock formation just outside of the academy. He like sit out here, listening to the sounds of the wind blowing and the kathhounds and horned kathhounds walking around, playing in the fields. Perhaps it's the Rinnegan or Hashirama's cells, that connects him to nature so much. That, or it's in his nature as a shinobi because they aren't as technologically advanced as the people of the galaxy. His people were obviously not space worthy and therefore never part of galactic society.

Vrook lowers himself next to Revan. "How are you?"

"I thought you weren't going to return until next week, Master," Revan says easily, giving the bald human a side look with his one black eye.

Vrook sighs. "Okay, fine. You don't want to talk about how you're feeling. How about this? How about we talk about last night?"

Revan doesn't respond right away, turning his eyes forward once more to watch the wind blow across the open field, grabbing hold and lovingly caressing the tall flowers and blades of grass.

"They won't stop, Master Vrook," Revan says. "They won't slow down."

He hesitates for a moment, seeing beyond the field to a group of people. He can see men and women and children, of a race he doesn't know - probably something from an Outer Rim world. They are huddled together and crying. Their homes nothing more than bamboo and straw and rope, set to flames around them. They are terrified as the Mandalorian's surround them, jeering and laughing. Mothers hold children, husbands hold wives and families of all shapes and sizes - their physical size, as a species is almost half the height of a full grown Mandaloiran - cowering in fear.

They are peaceful. They are farmers of some sort. Their weapons of choice are prods and sticks. They aren't even capable of space flight. This wasn't just an incident of Manadalorians attacking people. They are literal invaders against colonies of people who probably don't even realize that there is intelligent life out there in the galaxy other than themselves.

Revan pulled himself from the vision as soon as the Mandalorians opened fire on the people, slaughtering them almost immediately. His room was trashed. While he was sleeping, he unconsciously picked up all the items around his room levitated around him, drop to the floor and scatter about. The image of a crowd of people all set aside for slaughter hits too close to home for him.

Itachi reacts too strongly to something that Revan is desperately trying to be immune to.

The Force supplies the visions to Revan while he sleeps. So he doesn't. He busies himself with all sorts of things to keep him awake, until his body simply can't handle it anymore. Those nights are particularly bad. So he tries a different route. He relies on his training as a shinobi to assist him in this regard. He staggers his sleep time and keeps it light, all the while trying to incorporate a bit of meditation into it to keep him centered. It doesn't leave him well rested or in a particularly great mood, but it does keep the visions at bay.

His sleep is light enough that he can pull away from it when he feels himself enter into a vision. It's not an easy way to live, but he's growing more and more used to it. Even with Master Kreia's help, it's hard to adjust to the information influx of information. It's slow going, a constant, painful, up-hill battle, but he has to learn how to do it. He'll go insane otherwise.

"The Republic needs our help. We have to stop the Mandalorians," Revan says, mood sour.

Vrook doesn't respond right away, too lost in his thoughts. Finally, he looks over at Revan, eyebrows pulling together as his lips tilt downward. "I know, Revan," he says.

Revan looks at him. "You agree with me."

Vrook shakes his head. "I agree with the two points individually. The Republic needs our help and the Mandalorians need to be stopped."

Revan sighs. "You're splitting hairs, Master Vrook. Whether you believe it is necessary for us to fight off the Mandalorians or not with our lightsabers as opposed to the Republic's blasters is arbitrary at best. But ultimately moot at this point. Their blasters are ineffective against them. They need more if they hope to survive. It is our duty to protect the peace, is it not?"

"It is-"

"Then why are we ignoring the atrocities happening to the Republic? To those that live in the galaxy? Not just the Republic is subjected to the slaughter. Mandalorian's speak of honor as if it is their bread and butter, yet in their thirst for conquest they will annihilate dozens of species on planets that aren't even capable of defending themselves from their own wildlife let alone an alien invasion. The threat of something looming beyond the Mandalorians is ultimately inconsequential if they obliterate everything, including us, in their conquest."

Vrook is silent, staring down into Revan's eyes, seeing the distinct purple shining faintly beneath the thin layer of hair covering it. He cannot dispute what Revan says, and Revan knows that, and in many ways suspects that his trusted Master agrees with him in that regard, yet he will not stand for the Republic. He will not stand against the Mandalorians. He agrees with Revan, yet he will not stand with him.

It's both frustrating and disheartening.

"There is much that needs to be taken into consideration before acting, Revan," Vrook says, voice even.

Revan frowns at him, having heard this song and dance a dozen times. If Vrook believed him, really believed him, maybe he would be able to convince the rest of the Jedi Council of it as well. Revan doesn't wish for war any more than Itachi does. But the magnitude of this battle, of this war, far exceeds anything that either persona could identify with. The casualty measures are far beyond what he can easily comprehend as Itachi. Revan is capable of grasping it just a hair more. But his opinion remains the same. In order to stop conflict, there must be peace.

Itachi clings to that mantra. Peace can be achieved if the driving force is strong enough. Itachi did unspeakable things to those he loved because he didn't want more war and death and more than just he suffered for it. But it worked. The Uchiha didn't go to war against Konoha.

Konoha. Sasuke. Two things that he hasn't allowed himself to think about in a long time.

"Master Vrook," Revan whispers softly, as if speaking too loud would alert the entirety of Dantooine of their discussion. He doesn't like to talk about this, he doesn't want to talk about this. But he needs Vrook to understand, even if it's a little bit.

"Yes, Revan?" Vrook says patiently, looking down into his eyes with understanding and care. "Something you want to tell me?"

"Yes," Revan admits, having to look away for a moment. "It's about my people."

Rare. Very rare. Revan never speaks about his people. Never speaks about where he and his comrades that he arrived with came from. Not the planet, not the people, not the culture. Revan is very introverted and private. He can talk about practically anything else in the galaxy. Just not himself and where he came from. A lot of what they know, and suspect, comes from observation alone. Little was ever confirmed by any of them. Revan keeps to himself and his friends remain away from the Jedi.

Especially after the little debacle that they had concerning the girl known only as Fuu and the two men Han and Hidan.

"Yes...?" Vrook says quietly, also lowering his voice. If Revan was finally willing to open up a bit about his people and himself, Vrook certainly wasn't going to stop him. Perhaps it would help him better understand the enigmatic boy.

"As I'm sure you can tell, my people are very warlike. Our abilities in the Force are... unnatural," Revan says delicately, belying his full trust just yet. "We never really felt the Force as you do, but we used the power that we had to slaughter each other. To kill others levitated us to greater power. We used our power to climb tremendous heights, thinking that the top of the world was the greatest height. We didn't know, didn't understand."

"Your people were not uplifted," Vrook says delicately, worried if he said something wrong, the boy would clamp shut and never utter another world about the subject. "You never ascended to the stars."

"No, we didn't," Revan agrees, finally turning his eyes back over to Vrook. "My companions and myself were stolen from our homeworld by the Mandalorians. But my people's ignorance while incorrigible, can be overlooked as naiveté in the worst degree. Taking another living life isn't something that should be done with pride, but necessity if it is for survival. But we didn't understand that. Our perceptions were too narrow. Too focused inward to see the stars that shined above us. The Mandalorians didn't share that trait."

There is a spark of anger within the Force around them. It was a tangible shift in the air that the creatures of Dantooine immediately reacted too. Herds of Kathhounds and Horned Kathhounds starting pacing about, growling as if deeply agitated by the shift. They are more sensitive to it than most people would be.

"Revan..." Vrook says slowly, not liking the blackness that entered into the Force. Revan doesn't usually let anything into it, if he can help himself. He's very private indeed, even preferring to keep his emotions in check on both his face and in the Force.

The feeling vanishes once more as his emotions come into check.

"What they are doing isn't for self preservation in any sort of manner. It's evil and vile, but at the very core of it all, it's murder. Murder of the highest degree. It's genocide. And every moment it is ignored, it is condoned."

"It is never condoned," Vrook argues. "You just have to see the bigger picture, Revan. There is more going on than you realize and you wouldn't be helping anyone by rushing into things before you understand everything. Or at least see everything with a bit more clarity. You have admitted to killing and coming from a warlike race. In order stop the cycle of violence, you need to be aware so that your mind is not clouded by a thirst for war thinking it as just."

Revan doesn't respond, closing his eyes to think about what Vrook said. The older man reaches out and gently pats his shoulder before pushing to his feet with a groan and walking away, back toward the academy.

The purple eyed shinobi waits until the Master is out of ear shot before whispering to himself, "And you, as well, Master Vrook, need to be aware so that your mind is not clouded by a perceived sense of ignorance thinking it as wisdom."

"Revan," Alek calls out to the short, young man.

Revan stands on a hill overlooking a battlefield. They have been working tirelessly to get here. Here, being finally able to face the Mandalorians in open combat after Revan... changed. The Force around Revan couldn't be more vibrant and alive, but his presence has become completely subdued. After witnessing the imagine of the Mandalorian woman being killed by her own people for not wanting to kill a child seemed to have struck a cord with him, and stolen his voice. Revan keeps to himself, mostly, settling in his silence.

There is very few that he speaks to, nowadays. Alek and Meetra, being two of the few. The rest being those like him. Kakashi, Mabui, Han, Fuu, and Hidan. Everyone else he speaks to is out of necessity. He has to say something so that people would know his orders, but other than that, he remains silent. He walks around, boiling in the Force, fluctuating between deathly calm and nearly uncontrolled rage.

But the people of the Republic love him. The Great General. A hero. Every battle he participates in, he counters the Mandalorians and destroys them while minimizing the damages on their side, when he can. He was no stranger to risks and casualties, but he hasn't lost a battle yet. No, that's not right. Revan has calculated losses. He plans out an entire battle to end in defeat so that they will grow more bold, or reveal something that they have been hiding, in order to calculate against it for later. He's managed to stay ahead of the Mandalorians at almost every turn. If he's not somehow ahead of them, he's meeting them head on in battle. He's never been intimidated by the odds. Or, if he was, no one would be able to tell because of his mask.

Joy has become something of a rarity for all of them. Both those that came with Revan when he was first brought to the Order, and those that left in to join in him the war. No one is happy, or joyous. It's simply about stopping the Mandalorians and moving on to the next fight. There wasn't a glory of battle, at least not for Revan. He didn't join in celebrations of victory. He would slink away into darkness to continue to plan for the future or to settle himself from his battle high or even to calm the turbulence in the Force.

Meetra and Alek worry for Reven and his painful solitude, but he doesn't seem interested in breaking it. He wants to be left alone, or assisted in planning and rarely anything else. Once in a blue moon, Revan will approach them with simple conversation or will join them when they speak around him, but as the war goes on and becomes more bloody and the stakes rise higher, those times become fewer and fewer.

There is a blur of motion and Kakashi is next to Revan. He whispers something to the stoic, unmoving figure, and finally get a reaction. Revan turns to look at the tall white haired man head tilted to the side.

Alek knew of them. Kakashi, Mabui, Hidan, Han and Fuu. They were all of the same race as Revan, from the same place. They were all secretive about where they came from and how they got there. It had something to do with the Mandalorians, that much Alek knew for sure. But they were all unique. All of them were able to do things that Alek could only attribute to the Force. All of them were monstrously powerful in the Force. All more powerful than an average Knight.

The youngest of which, a green haired girl named Fuu, was very likable. She was kind and wonderful. Her personality was bright and airy and positive but inside of her is the blackest Force presence he has ever felt. It was nasty and corrosive Force presence that is alarming for how positive and bright Fuu is. Alek didn't sense any sort of deception from her, and it's almost like this presence was separate from her but existed within her.

It was the same with Han. A monster of a man that's taller than even Alek with a monster all his own inside of him. Just like Fuu, it's nasty and angry and volatile but separate from him. Han is calm and subdue and collective, yet this vileness dwelled within him. Alek himself has never had a terrible conversation with Han, who prefers to be quiet, much like Revan, but he's strongly protective of Fuu and is constantly looking after her.

Hidan was a monster of a man, not in stature, but in Force Presence. There was something about him that was grossly unnatural. Something that was vile and evil and sickening inside of him that was part of who he was. He was a crude, evil man that had no care for living life. He wasn't pleasant to be around or cared much for the company of other.

Mabui was a beautiful woman with a gentle kindness about her. There was loyalty and love so strong that it makes up her entire being. There was a lightness in her that wasn't a form of purity, but simple goodness. At the core of who she is, she is good. The darkness that stains her soul is out of necessity, not a desire to actually hurt people.

Kakashi is an odd one. He's a good man, not easy to talk to, though, but he seems to genuinely want what is best for people. But he's logical. He knows that not everything is sun shines and rainbows. He knows that cruelty exists and not everyone makes it out of life as the people that they go into it. He's a very logical thinker but his aura in the Force is gray with a plum of blue within it.

The Masters and other Jedi fear all of them. There is great power in them all. Revan and his people are very, very powerful Force Sensitive beings that use the Force in very unorthodox ways. Well, Revan's people do. Such things have not been seen of Revan, but it's not hard to believe that Revan is probably capable of the same things.

"We should get moving," Kakashi says, dark eye narrowed.

"Go," Revan says. "Get everyone else ready."

"Right," Kakashi says, disappearing in a swirl of sand.

"Revan?" Alek says, walking up to him, slowly. "Is something going on? What did Kakashi report?"

"There is a high ranking Mandalorian Commander on the battlefield, he's been all over the Republic's radio chatter," Revan says, turning toward Alek. "He's carrying something reminiscent of our home."

Alek's blue eyes widen. Revan doesn't usually speak about where he came from. He doesn't speak much about his life at all in any regard. His past and everything that comes with that, his present and his feelings, and his goals for the future. He's like a vault that is impossible to pop open. He keeps all of his cards close to his chest. So, to hear him speaking about his home, even briefly, is privilege all on it's own. All the time they have spent together and Alek is still comfortable enough to consider him a stranger. Friendly, they are, but when it comes to knowing about one another...

Well, Revan knows all about him and Meetra, but neither of them know everything about him. Revan doesn't speak about himself. Doesn't really speak at all. But his life, his feelings, those are meant for him and him alone.

Worried he'll ask the wrong thing and make the normally stoic young man clam up once more, he asks tentatively, "Oh? And what is it?"

"A symbol of our people. A headband," Revan says. "A headband from Konohagakure no Sato."

Alek's eyebrows shoot up his forehead. "Wow, I didn't catch that last bit. That wasn't in a language that I understand."

Revan shakes his head. It doesn't matter enough to Alek to explain in. It's something between Revan and those that came from the same planet as him. Their home, their problems. It might be a great enough reason for Revan to go to war without batting an eyelash, it's not the only reason that he's doing it. He wants to return home to his planet, but there is more that he needs to focus on. People that he can help on a galactic scale.

Itachi's purpose is really starting to pale in comparison to Revan's. How can he rationalize comparing both of them? Itachi's life is insignificant in comparison to Revan's. Itachi was meant to die, that was his entire reason for life. Revan... Revan just might have been meant for something more. It's hard for him to be able to tell what it is he has to do. What is he meant to do?

Itachi means nothing, but Revan just might. The only person that Itachi means anything to is Sasuke. And that is to simply act as an obstacle for Sasuke to overcome. That's it.

"We have to get moving," Revan says. "Gather the commanders."

Alek nods, turning to do as he's told, a bit disappointed that he wasn't able to get anything more from the stoic, younger man. But now wasn't the time anyway. They had to focus on the battle. Once the commanders are all gathered together, Revan goes over his plan, coordinating with the admiral in charge of their aerial units, making sure that everyone was clear on what they were doing, where they were going and what was expected to come of it all. Everyone knew what everyone else was doing and what was suppose to happen. If things weren't going according to plan, they were to try and act accordingly so that things progress forward.

Revan made it clear. He knows what he wants, and if his plans don't get them there, everyone else is welcome to try and improvise until it does or to some sort of more fruitful result.

The commanders gathered to hear Revan's plan. It was meticulous, and straight to the point. Something was wrong, though. Revan seemed... off. Meetra could sense it, and when her eyes locked with Alek, she knew he had the answer, but figured that she would be able to ask him later, in private.

One of Revan's comrades was there. A dark skinned woman named Mabui, who was always by Revan's side since the beginning of their involvement with the war. She had powers like the rest of them, but not as great as the rest of them, but she stood by Revan's side, almost like an advisor of sorts. She was mostly the go-between. She gathered information and presented it to Revan and his Commanders. She was a mixture of a secretary, a messenger and a fighter.

Mabui looks at Revan, thin, white eyebrows pulled together. She steps closer, leaning in to speak to Revan without being overheard by the commanders around him.

"Revan," she says, "Fuu has eyes on the Mandalorian commander. Her and Han are ready to engage."

Revan looks down at her, nodding very slowly. "Have them hold him off until I get there. I need to interrogate him before we kill him."

Mabui nods, stepping away to speaking into a communicator, a small blue image of the two Jinchuriki hovering a few inches above the communication piece. She didn't need to worry about someone hearing her, she stepped away more for their convenience than her own, for she spoke in the language of their home. No one but Revan could understand her, other than the two she spoke to.

"Fuu, Han? Hold him off, and keep him planetside. Revan has a plan and will be on his way to you as soon as he can."

Fuu looks over at Han, pushing some loose flying mint green hair from her eyes. "You hear that?"

Han nods, standing up on a high peak, staring down at the advancing Mandalorian forces. This is what they wanted. This battle against the Jedi. They wanted to battle more than "the cattle of the galaxy" and burned every world they came across along with a copious amount of unspeakable crimes against fellow beings of the galaxy until Revan and his finally separated from the Jedi Order and marched against them.

"Zetsu," Han says, looking down at the dirt until the white and black faced plant like being leans up out of it to look up at him. "Until we can get to him, ensure he cannot escape the planet."

Zetsu smiles wickedly. "Sure..." He looks around for a moment, as if considering something. Like he was trying to decide if he should say something or not.

Fuu shrugs thin shoulders when Han glances over at her before glaring down, mistrustfully, at the plant creature. "Is there something else that you wanted to add, Zetsu?"

Zetsu considers for a moment which only makes Fuu and Han share another look. Fuu grins at him, childishly, while Han seems greatly displeased. They are all from the same planet and have comradery in that regard, but out of all of them, he trusts Zetsu the least. Hidan, he'd never turn his back on, but Zetsu was just a bunch of secrets and gives the older of the two Jinchuriki a very bad feeling. He doesn't trust Zetsu at all.

At least Hidan learns his lesson after getting beaten down enough times. Zetsu's too smart for that. He's too smart to be caught off guard and beaten down. He doesn't trust them and the only one he seems to respect at all, is Revan. And Han isn't entirely convinced it isn't all from fear.

Revan was always a threat, and the danger that emanated from him has only grown more as time passed. But Han would like to say he was a good judge of people. He didn't trust Revan, or view them as friends, but he did trust that at the very core of his being, Revan wanted to go home. And in a very strange, unexplainable way, he wanted all of them to, as well.

Han... had mixed feelings.

Admittedly, he would like to return to his home, and his people. But he wasn't sure he would be able to forget this time away. His feelings about the people that he's been with. Mabui, Kakashi, Revan - Itachi Uchiha - and Fuu. Fuu has become something more than an acquaintance of circumstance for him. He genuinely cares for her, and in her eyes, he's not a monster. In her eyes, he's a man. A man with a monster dwelling within him. She can see the kunai from the scroll. They aren't one and the same.

He's just like her.

Mabui and Kakashi were accepting of them too. Revan as well, but his time with them was always thin, and it was hard to tell what he was thinking anyway.

Mabui worked, and lived, beside the legendary Eight Tails Jinchuriki from the Land of Lightning, Killer Bee, and Kakashi... well, Kakashi was an odd one. He simply said he didn't hold prejudice. Han didn't really believe it, but he's never felt mistreated by the gray haired man, so maybe people like him really do exist in the world. Someone who simply doesn't see him as a monster just because everyone else does. Mabui is nice and understanding, but out of the three of them, Han mostly likes Kakashi. Mabui got over her unease, Kakashi didn't appear to have it in the first place.

But it was all simply conjecture.

Fuu, on the other hand, Han loved Fuu. If he could imagine what having a baby sister was like, he had it with Fuu. She held the same burden that he did, yet it seemed like the light has never left her eyes. The joy never left her soul. She's still alive, when he felt like he was drowning. She was good. She was light. If they returned to their homeworld, he would protect her until the day he died.

"Well?" Fuu says after a long silence, orange eyes blown wide. "Spit it out, Zetsu, come on! We don't have all day!"

Zetsu grins at her, sinking back into the ground. "The commander summoned a Basilisk Wardroid to ride into battle on. It seems he's wanting to see Revan too." And then he's gone.

For the Reviewers:

1. 2ndUzukage: They haven't seen Revan's wrath yet. :D

2. Saitofan: They sure will be. This is their chance to return home. They are warlike by nature, and they can't ignore the injustice going on in the galaxy, but at the end of the day, this is their way of returning home. We are starting to see that maybe not everyone is as keyed up about returning as they originally were.

3. RadioPoisoning: There was a little bit of preparation involved. It's going to start bouncing back and forth in time, like it does in the beginning of the chapter. They really will be by his side. They are going to be using all of their impressive skillsets to take down the Mandalorians.

4. Hakazu: It's definitely going to be different, that's for sure. Especially since, during this war, Revan and Itachi will really be battling one another for dominance. As he grows into Revan, Itachi will begin to fade more and more into the background, but a lot of Itachi's core beliefs will be exaggerated into Revan's policies.

5. Brady420: Oh, darling, you are gonna see some shit. XD He's already utilizing his shinobi and jedi training to help get him through the day. It's only going to incorporate into his fighting style more and more until it's a perfect blend.

6. aznxa21: Well, I hope you come to like it. ^.^

7. iledian: Itachi won't vanish without a fight. For the time being, he's going to rationalize the need to push Itachi away and let the Revan persona live on, but the more he delves into this person, the more difficult it will be to scrape together who Itachi once was. Your wishes has been heard! A bit more of my baby girl!

8. Uncertain-Angel: Thank you so much, you're too kind! :D