Chapter 1: The Journey Begins
When Naruto finally regained consciousnes , he awoke to find out he'd been sent to a hospital...
"Eh... where am I?" He said blinking his eyes. "Sasuke." He'd noticed the headband sitting in his lap. It was his, though it reminded him of Sasuke's. Or what was at least left of it. "Chidori!" Vivid memories of the battle swarmed through his mind. Nothing will be the same, he thought dipping his head. Naruto could only imagine the things Orochimaru was putting in Sasuke's head. "I'll come back for you, know matter what it takes." Naruto stood up. "Know matter what!"
Naruto began to walk out of the room, and leave the hospital when he unexpectedly heard a hard thumppp behind him. He ran to the window to check out the scene. "Eh..." The light struck Naruto hard but the sight of what he saw next struck him harder! For standing outside the window pane stood Jiraiya-sensei, Naruto's master, and Gama-ken, Jiraiya's sage frog. "Well, I see you've recovered quickly as always." He said jumping onto the ledge of the window seal. Naruto looked in delight."Jiraiya-sensei!" He exclaimed. "How'd you find me?" Jiraiya closed his eyes with a smile. "That doesn't matter right now! What matters is that we get on a move-on! It's training time!" Naruto's juvenation turned into sadness once he heard the news. "But...Sasuke." Naruto wondered. Jiraiya's smile faded. "Huh..."He spoke to naruto. "Forget about Sasuke. He's clearly a lost cause!"
"A lost Cause!"
Naruto welled. "How could you..." Jiraiya interrupted his anger. "Naruto! Sasuke left the village on his own premises to run after Orochimaru. He's no longer a concern for our village!" Naruto tightened a fist. "He's my friend." Jiraiya felt sickened at the thought of Naruto calling him that. "If he was really your friend, would he have put you in the condition you're at now? Would you call a friend, someone who deliberately tried to murder you! WOULD YOU!?" Naruto sat back down on the bed. "But Jiraiya-sensei..." Naruto spoke. "We... had a bond." Jiraiya looked down on Naruto with anger. "You really are one stupid kid, you know!"
Naruto looked up with a smile. "Well, you know what, Jiraiya-sensei?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at naruto. "What?" He questioned. Naruto arched his eyebrows.
"If being stupid means what you say it does, I'll remain a fool for the rest of my life!"
Jiraiya gasped at Naruto. But not for the fact of standing up to his sensei, but for having the stupidity, and at the same time, courage, to embark on such a journey. Jiraiya smiled at Naruto. "You really are focused on this Sasuke kid aren't you?... Though, since you'll probally die trying, the least I could do is support you in your journey to find him." Naruto grew a slight smile that Jiraiya couldn't help but feel stupid for making. Jiraiya stopped Naruto before he could say a word. "Yes... this means I'll help you find Sasuke."
Naruto jumped up with delight. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" He yelled jumping up and down. Jiraiya slapped his head in stupidity. "Alright, calm down." He put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "But remember, training comes first. It'll take at least three years for you to become prepared for what's ahead of you!" Naruto raised his arms in delight. "I know! For buy the time I get done training, I'll be strong enough to knock anyone who gets in the way of my path, OUT OF THE WAY!"
Smoke polluted Goku's airways as exhaust burned from Vegeta's capsule...
"VEGETA!"Goku welled as the capsule flew into oblivion. "Vegeta!" But Vegeta was know where to be seen, and it seemed as if all hope had been lossed. Goku dipped his head in frustration. Vegeta! He thought. Why can't you understand? Goku turned torward the others. "..." He looked at them hoping that they'd understand as well, though instead, they all turned there heads in rejecton of the idea of going after Vegeta. Goku frowned at them. "You guys. I know Vegeta has not been the biggest help we've had, but that doesn't count him out as a Villain." Goku's voice began to fade. "It may not seem like it, but Vegeta has been there in our hardest times." He turned toward Hercules, who had been in the crowd with the others. "Hercules." Goku spoke. "When Majin Buu attacked Earth, who fought beside me in an attempt to foil his plans? Vegeta did!" Goku turned toward trunks. "Trunks, when Cell almost killed all of us, and we were at our best, who fought on? Vegeta did!" Goku looked toward the skys. "And King Kai, when Janemba almost completely anihilated the human race, not to forget Hell's, Who agreed to combine powers with me, so Earth could live on?" King Kai teleported beside Goku, and dipped his head. "Vegeta did." He admitted.
Goku regained his smile. "So who are we going after!?" The crowd went silent. Goku lowered his arms."Y-you guys?" King Kai put his hand on Goku's shoulder. "Goku." He spoke. "Vegeta clearly left on his own. He's not the man he's made us to believe he is. So yeah, he did all those things, but in the end were they really truthful? I think it's time you leave Vegeta to himself." Goku tightined a fist, and regained his frown. "NO!" he angered. "Vegeta is still out there, the Vegeta I know would never abandon Earth again! He's out there and he needs our help. And if you don't support me, I don't care anymore." King Kai gasped. "Gok-" Goku interupted him at his tracks. "I know Vegeta is alive, I know Vegeta isn't gone, and I KNOW HE STILL, DEEP DOWN IN HIS HEART, STILL REMAINS LOYAL TO EARTH, AND THERE'S NO VILLAIN, MUTANT, OR MORTAL THAT WILL STOP ME FROM RECOVERING HIM!"
Piccolo, Goku's newly called "friend", stood beside him...
"Goku's right!" He exclaimed. "Now even I did'nt like the man. Why sometimes, he would push me to the point where I wanted to kill that bastard!" Piccolo gripped his fist. "But, he was apart our team, and take it from me, if Vegeta didn't want to be apart of that, he would have damn sure taken death before climbing into some run-down spaceship!
So, are you with me?!"
The crowd still stood silent
Piccolo folded his arms. "C'mon Goku." he angered walking away. "He couldn't of gotten too far." Goku turned his back torward the others. He now had no concern over what the town thought. and continued with piccolo. Goku sighed... Vegeta. He thought. Where are you?
