A/N: I am once again so sorry for the lateness of this update. Blame the infamous Chapter 437 of the manga, and my two new passions in life Soul Eater and Gunbound for lack of writing motivation. But better late than never they always say. And it's a nice big juicy chapter to try and make up for my laziness. So sit back and please enjoy the next captivating tale of my little creation, The Strongest Ninja in the Universe! Wahooooo!!!
Oh, and there will be another omake at the end of the chapter. This one is way smaller and has nothing to do with the story...or does it? Is it a glimpse of a future to come? Or is it just the mental plot bunny of an even crazier author? You decide.
And I decided to change the Yondaime's first name to Minato. His last name will remain Uzumaki however, because Kushina didn't exist in this world. XP!
The Strongest Ninja in the Universe
Chapter 12
The Search for Naruto
Naruto's bright cerulean orbs opened wide as he surveyed his surroundings. This was definitely not the forest outside of the village, in fact this wasn't even outside! His eyes traced the many different twisting pipes that ran the length of the ceiling of the long hallway he was standing in. Water dripped steadily down the stone walls, collecting in small stagnant pools on the floor. "Where am I?" He mumbled softly to himself as he tried to remember what had happened before he ended up in this place. He remembered Mizuki's words, and the realization that he was the Kyuubi no Kitsune that had attacked the village and killed Iruka-sensie's parents.
He shook his head violently, dispelling the dark thoughts that had begun to gather within his mind. He would deal with that news later. He then remembered finding Hyuuga Hinata in the forest as well. Mizuki had tried to attack her and he had jumped in at the last minute. After that everything went dark and he ended up here. His memory still seemed a bit fuzzy, and he felt like he was forgetting something important. Maybe if he walked around a bit it would return to him.
As Naruto began to make his trek down the long corridor no sound except for the steadily dripping water and the splashes of his own footsteps met his ears. Exactly what was this place? Was it some kind of technique that Mizuki used on him? Was Hinata alright, or had the bastard taken her? More questions swirled through his mind as he walked. Just what had Hinata been doing there after all? What reason did the shy, quiet girl have to help him of all people. He had never really talked to Hinata before. But he did know that she was probably the only girl he had ever met that didn't make fun of him, or treat him badly. But he hardly even knew her! Why would she risk her own life for his sake?
Naruto's mental ramblings were cut off as he noticed he was approaching a new section of the hallway. The path continued straight as it did before, but on both sides of the narrow corridor stood innumerable
alcoves containing doors with numbers on them.
"Great." He mumbled with a sigh. Now what was he going to do? Which way should he go if he wanted to get out of here? Was there even a way out? If it was some trap set by Mizuki he doubted the bastard would provide an exit of some kind.
Shrugging, he approached the first door on the right. It had an enormous number one emblazoned into the wood. As he got closer he could feel an odd thrumming begin in his chest. His breathing became labored, and his heart rate increased. Before he realized it he was reaching for the handle.
'No! I can't just open the door, it's gotta be a trap!' He mentally screamed, trying to will his hand to stop. But his body no longer obeyed his mind, and in one fluid motion he turned the knob and the door swung inwards. A blinding light seared his eyes before Naruto found himself forcefully sucked through the portal.
Darkness immediately swallowed the blond boy, and Naruto tried to thrash around, but found that he could not move an inch of his body. He felt strangely disconnected, as if he was a stranger in his own skin. He could feel everything that his body did, but was unable to control any of it, even his own breathing. He also noticed that he was surrounded by something soft and warm, that smelled oddly...nice.
Suddenly, his arms and legs moved as his body stretched, and he felt his eye lids begin to flutter open.
"Oh, look! He's opening his eyes!" The woman's soft voice resounded in his ears. Why did that voice sound familiar? His eyes finally opened, and blinked rapidly as they adjusted to the sudden light. A face came into focus, and Naruto gasped at the beautiful dark haired woman before his gaze. Well, he would have gasped if he could control his mouth.
She looked to be in her thirties, with long black hair matted with sweat and bright sky blue eyes. There was a strange and foreign emotion in those eyes as she looked into his own, a soft smile on her lips. She gently reached down, and stroked his cheek, the strange emotion seeming to intensify as Naruto found himself captivated. If he had control of his body, he would have probably suffocated, having suddenly forgotten how to breathe.
"Hello my little Naruto. Welcome to the world."
"Ooomph!" Naruto grunted as he landed painfully on his back side in the cold stagnant water. He looked up when he heard the door in front of him slam shut, still dazed from the strange vision he had just seen. Was that woman he had seen part of Mizuki's technique? Was he trying to distract him somehow, or was that scene something else, something...more.
He felt a strange feeling on his cheek, and reached up with his hand. He felt a warm wetness on his face, and was shocked to know that he was crying. He couldn't remember the last time he had done that. Crying got nobody anywhere, and he had refused to show any weakness to the villagers that despised him. Shaking his head he rubbed the tears from his cheeks and stood up on shaky legs. What the hell was wrong with him?
He glanced longingly at the closed door, his hand impulsively reaching towards it again, towards the image of that woman with eyes as blue as his own. Gritting his teeth, he turned away from the door, a strange ache in his chest. 'No! He had a job to do! Hinata was in danger, and he had to get out of here so he could stop Mizuki's plan!' So with a heavy heart, Naruto turned away from the door, and the woman behind it and continued his search.
After walking past countless doors, Naruto finally found himself at the end of the long, stone corridor. It opened into an enormous chamber with a pair of large golden gates set into the back wall. The bars of the gates were gigantic pillars of iron, spaced so wide that he knew he could easily walk between them with no difficulty.
"Is one of these the way out?" He mumbled to himself, glancing between the identical gates. One gate had a lock while the other seemed to be held shut by nothing more than a piece of paper with the kanji for 'seal' imprinted on it. There was also something engraved on the lock of the other gate, and as Naruto got closer he could make out the words 'Will of Fire'. He gave a small tug to the lock, and found that it was secure. He also found that an invisible wall kept him from passing between the bars into the darkness beyond.
Shrugging, the jinchuuriki approached the first gate, staring up at the immense bars of iron. He stuck his hand through the bars, and found there was no force field blocking his passage. He looked curiously at the large paper seal attached to the gate, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Whoever built this gate was a real moron. I mean I can easily just walk right between them with room to spare!" Naruto took one confident step into the darkness, but froze as he heard something within rustle with movement.
And then before his terrified gaze, two enormous blazing red eyes appeared from nowhere, followed by an enormous maw lined with razor sharp fangs bigger than himself. The eyes stared blankly out of the cage, and Naruto didn't think they had noticed him yet. If he could just shift a little to the left, he could hide behind one of the bars and stay out of sight.
He almost made it too, but at the last second forgot that he was ankle deep in water, and brought his foot down with the tiniest of splashes. He immediately froze, sweat beading down his face as he silently prayed the monster hadn't seen him. Nothing happened though, and Naruto slowly lifted his head, opening his eyes. He immediately stumbled back with a cry when he saw the angry red glare fixed on him, and fell on his rear.
"YOU!!!!!" The monster howled baring his fangs in a vicious snarl. "HOW DARE YOU COME HERE WORM!!!! I'LL TEAR YOU TO SHREDS!!!!"
Naruto screamed as titanic claws burst from between the bars, slashing down on his frozen form. The last thing the blond shinobi saw before they were upon him, was the face of a massive fox, hateful eyes burning with rage.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Naruto shrieked as he sat bolt upright, heart pounding, and breathing ragged. Something moved to his left, and he jumped back in fright, covering his eyes from the monster set on killing him.
"NOOOOO!!! Stay away!!" He howled, holding his hands out defensively.
"Naruto calm down! It's alright, you're safe now!" Naruto stopped screaming as he felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his body, and froze at the sound of his sensei's concerned voice.
"I-Iruka sensei?" He mumbled groggily, and reached a hand up to scratch his head. The feeling of cloth met his fingertips, and Naruto opened his eyes to see that he was currently in the Konoha Hospital, and apparently wrapped in bandages. His eyes widened as he remembered his fight with Mizuki and he looked desperately at a surprised Iruka.
"Where's Mizuki Iruka-sensei! And Hinata, what happened to her?! I got kicked by the bastard, and Hinata tried to save me, but Mizuki slapped her and pulled out a kunai! That's all I remember, did the jiji show up and beat him, or was it you? And then I was in this really dark weird tunnel and saw this pretty lady behind a door and then-"
"Hold it Naruto!" Iruka said with a chuckle as he put a hand over the excited blond's mouth. " I along with Hokage-sama and Hyuuga-dono found you unconscious on the ground. Hinata was perfectly fine." He added quickly seeing the concern enter his student's eyes. "As for Mizuki, he was found unconscious at the base of a broken tree with a shattered jaw and both arms and legs broken in multiple places. Hinata said that you were the one that did it...with a single punch to the face you sent him flying over a hundred feet and knocked him through a tree."
"I-I did?" The stunned youth replied with wide eyes. He didn't remember any of that, but... "Yatta! I beat a chuunin!" He shouted happily, fists pumping in the air. "That's one step closer to Hokage baby!" He grinned smugly and put his hands behind his head, causing his sensei to chuckle softly. Naruto would never change, and that was a good thing.
"Yes, yes you defeated a chuunin Naruto, even if you don't remember it. Hokage-sama said you probably received some power from your...err tenant. It seems to have activated unconsciously. Naruto stopped smiling and looked away in shame, shocking and confusing Iruka. "Naruto, what's wrong?" He asked in concern, wondering what could have caused his mood to change so drastically.
Naruto sighed, and began twiddling his thumbs, eyes hidden by his bangs. "I'm sorry sensei, a-about your parents I mean. I don't remember doing those horrible things, but that's no excuse. I'm the Kyuubi and-"
He was cut off as Iruka embraced him tightly from behind, and Naruto gasped as he felt a warmth spread through his body. "You are not the Kyuubi Naruto." He said fiercely, confusing the blond.
"But Mizuki said-"
"Mizuki lied. Hokage-sama cleared everything up for me and told me the truth. You're not the Kyuubi Naruto, but the demon is sealed inside of you." Naruto pulled back, giving him a questioning look.
"Sealed inside of me? How?"
"Apparently when the Kyuubi attacked the village it was so powerful that not even the Yondaime along with the entire force of the village could defeat it. So in an act of desperation the Hokage sealed the demon's soul into the body of a newborn child. That child was you Naruto. You are the container of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the most powerful of all the bijuu."
"I'm the Kyuubi's container? But that doesn't change the fact that it's still inside of me, the monster that killed so many people." Iruka gripped his shoulders and stared intensely into his worried blue eyes.
"You are not the Kyuubi! You are Uzumaki Naruto, my number one surprising knuckle headed student...and the newest genin in Konoha's shinobi ranks." Naruto's eyes brightened at his sensei's words, but then became confused again.
"Genin?" Iruka chuckled, and shook his head with a smile.
"You never have been very observant have you Naruto." At his confused look Iruka merely pointed at his forehead, still grinning widely. It was then that Naruto realized for the first time that his sensei wasn't wearing his hitai-ate, which meant..." He gasped, and Iruka nodded. His hands instantly went to his own forehead, and he realized that the cloth he had felt wasn't bandages, but his sensei's forehead protector.
"Yes! I did it! I did it I did it I did it! I'm a genin, a real shinobi!" He shouted victoriously, tears brimming his cerulean eyes. "But what about the exam? I failed and Mizuki lied about the make up test."
"That doesn't change the fact that you mastered a jounin level technique in a single night and singlehandedly defeated a chuunin ranked enemy. I think that more than qualifies you for the rank of genin Naruto, so wear it with pride and show this village what you're made of."
Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head. "I guess I am pretty amazing huh?"
"That you are Naruto-kun." A voice said jovially from the doorway, followed by a deep chuckle.
Naruto turned around and he smiled happily, eyes bright with joy. "Jiji! I'm a genin!" Iruka bowed to the Hokage, who strode into the room, his long robes swishing as he took a seat in a chair.
"Iruka, might I have a word with our newest genin in private?"
"Of course Hokage-sama." He replied with a bow and got up from the bed. "Congratulations Naruto. I'll see you at the team selection meeting in two days." Naruto waved as his sensei left the room, leaving him alone with the Sandaime.
"I would like to congratulate you as well on your bravery Naruto-kun. It must have taken a lot of courage to stand up to a shinobi of Mizuki's skill and experience. To actually defeat an opponent such as himself at your age is truly remarkable."
Naruto just scratched his head, cheeks turning slightly pink from embarrassment. "It wasn't that big a deal. I was just trying to protect Hinata. By the way, how is she. Iruka-sensei said that she was alright, is she really?"
The Hokage chuckled slightly and smiled softly at him. "Miss Hyuuga is safe and has been returned to her family unharmed thanks to you. That is also something that I wanted to talk with you about. You see, Hinata Hyuuga overheard what Mizuki said to you."
Naruto gasped, and gulped audibly. "Sh-She did?" The Hokage nodded, and looked at him curiously.
"Does this bother you? Iruka said that even after she had heard about the Kyuubi she still volunteered against his wishes to go into the forest alone and search for you."
"Really? She did that for me?" He asked in wonder, and the Hokage chuckled and nodded again.
"But regardless, this is your secret and yours alone Naruto-kun. As Mizuki told you, I passed a law when the Kyuubi was sealed inside of you that nobody from your generation was to know the truth of what happened to you. I hoped that this way, the children would not develop the same foolish opinion of you that the rest of the adults had developed." The Hokage sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose, before staring again into Naruto's bewildered blue eyes. "I am so deeply sorry for the way the villagers have treated you these many years Naruto-kun. The Yondaime wanted the village to see you as a hero and their protector, but it seems they couldn't see past the demon to the wonderful young man you've come to be. For that I am deeply sorry."
The Hokage bowed his head to him, and Naruto began to feel uncomfortable. "Don't do that jiji. I don't blame you, or the village. The Kyuubi did horrible things to our village, and they have a right to hate it. But like Iruka-sensei said, I am not the Kyuubi. And I'm going to make this whole village understand that. I am Uzumaki Naruto! And I will never give up until the people of Konoha recognize me for me, and not some damn demon!"
Sarutobi looked at his determined face in awe, and chuckled softly shaking his head. How one who had been abused and mistreated so much could be so forgiving and strong truly baffled him. He knew that not even he could have put up with such torment without breaking eventually. But Naruto had never given in to hate, never given up on his dream to earn the respect of the villagers. He truly was an amazing child. "Minato-kun would have been so proud, as well as your parents I'm sure."
"My parents? Do you know who they were?" Naruto mumbled while fingering his necklace, his most prized possession. The Sandaime sighed sadly and shook his head.
"I'm afraid not Naruto-kun. The Yondaime is the one that found you and we never discovered who your family was. All we knew, was that your name was Naruto from that necklace that you were wearing. But I'm sure that whoever and wherever they are they must be thinking about you."
Naruto just smiled softly and then gave him a huge grin. "Thanks jiji!" His stomach suddenly growled and Naruto smiled sheepishly. "All that fighting made me pretty hungry, do you think we could go get some Ichiraku's or something?"
Sarutobi just gave a heartfelt laugh and ruffled his hair. "Sure Naruto-kun, let's see if Iruka wants to join us."
Ooooooo
Pan stretched lazily in bed as the first rays of sun filtered through the blinds in her room. Yawning she stood up and grabbed a towel before heading into the bathroom for a quick shower. After she had washed away her fatigue the female saiyan stepped out and stood in front of the fog covered mirror. Wiping it away she stared at her reflection, and gave a determined nod.
Today was the day. She was going to find her little brother if it was the last thing she ever did. She had made a promise to herself all those years ago, and she had trained and prepared for this day ever since. Giving one last glance into her reflection she exited the bathroom to get ready for the coming day.
She found her father sitting at the table drinking a glass of orange juice, a thick book in his hands.
"Good morning Pan, sleep well?" He asked jovially and she just ignored him, walking over to the fridge and grabbing herself some juice and an apple. She was too nervous to try and force anything else down for breakfast. Silently she sat at the table and bit into the apple, ignoring the worried glance Gohan was giving her.
After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence he gave up on trying to coax her into a conversation and turned back to his book. But a minute later sighed and closed it unable to get back into the story he had been reading. Pinching the bridge of his nose he looked at his daughter, who refused to meet his gaze.
"Pan." She gave no response, and continued to eat her breakfast. She didn't even jump as Gohan slammed his book on the table. "Damn it Pan, how many times do I have to apologize for you to forgive me?"
"Forgive you?" She said quietly, fist clenched tightly in anger. "You expect me to forgive you so easily for everything you put me and mom through for these past twelve fucking years?" Gohan gulped, knowing that he had pressed a delicate issue a bit too hard. Pan stood up from her seat and glared at him viciously.
"You think you can just say sorry and everything will be okay Gohan!?" She was shouting now and her father cringed at the vehemence in her voice. "Mom needed you, and what the hell did you do? You disappeared without a fucking trace and abandoned us! Do you know how much that hurt her, hurt us?" She slammed her fist into the metal table, folding it in half like a taco, and sent his glass and book flying across the room.
"Pan, just listen!"
"No you listen Gohan! You abandoned us, and didn't show your pathetic face for over a decade! And then you come waltzing back in when you got Bulma's message with that infuriating grin on your face and you expect everything to be all right, for us to just instantly forgive everything!!!?"
Her eyes flashed green, and suddenly her long dark hair burned gold as she unleashed her power. The whole house shook , and a burning aura surrounded her body as she stared down at her father's quivering form. "Well I don't forgive you! I don't know if I ever will be able to just forgive what you have done!" Her power continued to rise until her earring began to burn, and she forced herself to calm down, letting her power, but not her anger go before the stupid thing activated.
She turned away from him, her shoulders quaking in fury. Gohan sighed in relief and bit his lip. That had been a mistake, and he knew it. "Pan, I know that you can't forgive me now. I know that I messed up, I messed up big time. I was weak. I couldn't face everybody after everything that happened."
"And did you think that we wanted to face what happened alone? Do you know how many nights mom cried, how many times she..." Pan stopped herself before she lost control again, and took a deep breath, calming her racing heart. "Look, let's just drop this. I'm going to go get the tracker and get ready to go. Meet me outside when you're ready."
Gohan couldn't think of a single thing to say as she silently walked away. But he wasn't going to give up hope. He had been preparing for this day too, and vowed that he would regain his daughter's trust. He had a lot of things to make up for. He had already lost his son, he wasn't going to lose her too.
Pan sighed as she rummaged through her bag. Where had she put that stupid tracker last night? She opened another compartment and yelped as something leaped out of the bag at her.
"PAAAAAAAAANNNNNNN!" A mechanical voice wailed and she soon found two thin metallic arms wrapped around her body.
"Giru? I thought I told you to stay home?" She said stunned, and the little bot wailed louder.
"Giru loves Pan! Giru had to come and help giru."
"Help?" Her eyes narrowed and she glared suspiciously at her robotic friend. "Giru did you take the tracker for the ship?" Giru looked sheepishly at her. How a robot with no facial expressions could possibly do that was beyond her, but the point came across anyway.
"Giruuuu..." She said ominously, and the little bot jumped back, nervously wringing his hands.
"Well, you see Giru got hungry from being in the bag for so long. And Giru found this tasty looking electronic thingy...giru."
"You ate the tracker?!!!" She spluttered incredulously. "Giru how could you?" Giru cringed at the anger in his master's voice.
"Giru just wanted to help, see?" Pan looked and saw that a radar screen had appeared on his body with a little red blip off in the same direction as the city that she had seen last night. "See? Giru will help you find the ship giru."
Pan sighed and rubbed her temples before giving Giru a grin. "Alright you sly little mutant bot, you can come along, but you have to stay invisible unless I say so." She waggled her finger at him and Giru nodded at her giving a little robotic cheer.
"Giru won't let Pan down giru. Giru loves Pan and wants to see her happy again! giru." Pan just giggled and patted him on the head.
"There you are! Are you ready to go?" Pan's smile vanished at the sound of her father's voice, and Giru wilted a bit. "Giru? What are you doing here?" He asked the little robot questioningly.
"He hid in my bag and ate the tracker so he could come along with us." Pan replied with a roll of her eyes and a smirk.
"Yes Gohan! Giru will help! Giru will help find the ship giru." Gohan laughed at him, and turned around, capsulizing their two bedroom Capsule House. It vanished in a puff of smoke with a loud pop, and Gohan put it into its holder.
"Well, let's go then. Lead the way Giru!" He said happily and Giru cheered before taking flight. Pan just sighed, shaking her head and followed the two through the air.
They had been flying at a steady pace for about five minutes when Gohan suddenly stopped in the air. Pan stopped as well, curious as to what he had seen, and found her father staring down at a large clearing in the thick forest. "Pan, is that what I think it is?" He asked and Pan nodded quietly, uneasiness and excitement bubbling up in her all at once.
"It's the crater that was caused by the ship's landing. He's really here isn't he?" She said quietly, understanding for probably the first time that she had a chance to see her brother again. Tears welled up in her dark eyes and she brushed them away quickly. There was no time for that. She had shed all of her tears years ago and vowed to never show such weakness again. Steeling her resolve she flew down towards the ground to inspect the landing site. Gohan followed and alighted quietly next to her as he surveyed the clearing. His eyes narrowed as he beheld the numerous scars and damage that had been caused to the surrounding area.
"There was a battle here." Pan said softly and Gohan nodded, kneeling before the crater. It was true. Although most of the damage had been covered over the years by vegetation and erosion they could still feel the aura of battle lingering in the air around them.
"Come on Pan, let's go. There's nothing left here, the winner of the fight probably took the ship back to the village, and that's where we'll most likely find information about where Naruto ended up after the crash.
If he was still alive.
The statement remained unspoken between them, but both knew that it was a possibility. Silently they took once more to the skies and continued on their on their way. The large village soon came into view before them, and both saiyan warriors had to stop and marvel at the immense stone faces carved into the very mountainside. Gohan stared at the faces questioningly and frowned.
"Those faces don't look like they were carved out of the mountain with a tool of any kind. They look like they're part of the very mountain itself." Pan raised an eyebrow at his words, not fully understanding what he could mean by that.
"So what?" She scoffed, dismissing the information as useless trivia.
"So that means that on this Earth the people have learned to manipulate energy, if they can reform the face of a mountain. We should just be more careful is all I'm trying to say."
Pan just rolled her eyes, and smirked at her father. "You worry too much. We can easily sense the energy levels of these people, and although there are quite a few abnormally high energy signatures there, it's nothing that either of us couldn't handle without using our Super Saiyan powers. Come on Giru, let's get going. The more time we waste worrying about what COULD happen we lose valuable time that could be spent searching for the ship." Without another word she flew towards the city, a worried Gohan in tow.
Again however, she stopped in mid air and Gohan nearly collided with her back, almost losing his glasses as he stopped short. "What is it now P an?" He said before he suddenly felt the energy in the air in front of them.
"I think it's some kind of energy shield, but it's nowhere near strong enough to be an offensive shield."
"Maybe it's used to detect intruders that try to enter the city, like an alarm system." Pan nodded, thinking that it was a good explanation, and started to fly towards the invisible barrier.
"Pan wait! Are you just going to fly right through it? They'll know that you're trying to break into their city!"
Pan just scoffed and folded her arms arrogantly. "Like they could do anything to stop me if they cared." She replied smugly, and Gohan just sighed. She had definitely been spending waaaay too much time with Vegeta over the years. The arrogant prince's attitude had even rubbed off on her. But what did he expect? Vegeta was the most powerful fighter on Earth, and the second most powerful being in the universe next to Goku. If she had been training to get revenge on Broly she would have definitely sought him out to train her. She had changed so much since he had been gone, and he regretted not being there while she grew into the woman that she was today.
Gohan was broken from his thoughts when Pan again approached the barrier. "Wait Pan!" He called out to her again and she stopped in midair with a jerk, before turning around and giving him an annoyed glare.
"What do you expect me to do? We have to get into this city. What, do you want to just waltz in through the front gate?"
"It couldn't hurt to try. Maybe they'll welcome us as friends." Pan slapped her forehead, unable to believe how naive her father was acting. Had he always been this dense?
"Look, you can try the front door if you want Gohan, but me and Giru don't feel like taking the scenic route. We'll see you on the inside!" And without another word she zoomed through the barrier, and disappeared from sight over the high wall. Gohan just sighed and headed towards the forest so he wouldn't look suspicious as he approached the gate.
Oooooo
"The breach was detected at the southern end of the village five minutes ago. We believe it to be a high ranking shinobi, possibly from Kumo using a jutsu that grants levitation."
The member of the Konoha Barrier Squad finished his report, and fell silent. Sarutobi was stony faced as he puffed on his pipe, weighing his options. If it was an intruder from an enemy hidden village the matter would have to be dealt with quickly. However he could not risk sending the general public into hysteria. The ensuing chaos would make it that much harder to detect and apprehend the intruder.
"Thank you for your report. Instruct the two ANBU waiting outside to pass the word to every shinobi in the village that an intruder has entered the village, but to not alert the general public. We will have everyone on the lookout secretly for anything out of the ordinary, and I will charge a squad of ANBU to the search as well. You are dismissed."
"Hai, Hokage-sama!" The shinobi replied with a salute, and strode out of the room to pass the word. The Sandaime remained seated behind his desk, quietly puffing his pipe and left to wonder what new threat had targeted his village.
Ooooo
Kotetsu yawned as he leaned back in his chair at his guard post at the village's southern gate. His partner and friend Izumo was seated beside him, both bored to tears as they watched for anybody entering or leaving the village. Kotetsu's head shot up however as he heard a sharp series of whistles from a rooftop down the street, and he sat bolt upright as he realized the meaning of the message. Somebody had invaded the village from the sky! He glanced at Izumo who's eyes narrowed and he gave a short nod. They were to remain at their post and look for anything suspicious. It was there sworn duty to ensure nobody left the village now.
"Hi there! Beautiful day isn't it?" Kotetsu almost toppled backwards in his chair at the sound of an unexpected voice. He hadn't even felt the person's presence! Could this be the elite shinobi? He was just a chuunin, he wasn't ready to handle some crazy powerful ninja that could fly! Swallowing he gathered the courage to look ahead, sweat beading on his brow, and nearly face faulted at the sight of the kind faced care free man standing before him.
Clearing his throat and trying to sound official, he greeted the stranger like he did any other traveler. After all they were supposed to keep the knowledge of the intruder a secret from the general public. " Good afternoon sir, what business do you have in Konoha today?"
Gohan smiled at the friendly bandaged man, and scratched the back of his head. "Well actually, I'm a wandering construction worker and I'm just trying to see if there are any jobs available in the city. I've been traveling all over the area looking for work and somebody told me that Konoha might have something available."
The chuunin eyed Gohan up and down, a bit skeptical that such a bookish looking man was a construction worker. " Forgive me, but you look more like a teacher or a librarian than a manual labor type of worker. Gohan just smiled a bit embarrassed and chuckled.
"Yeah, a lot of people tell me that. But I'm actually a lot stronger than I look, trust me." Kotetsu shrugged, and turned to Izumo, whispering softly. "What do you think, he looks harmless to me. Let's just check to see if he has any weapons on him and let him be on his way." Izumo nodded and stood up, performing a short series of hand signs.
" Kinzoku jiseki!" He cried and a blue aura surrounded Gohan's body. He didn't panic, too fascinated by the strange energy technique that they were using. Izumo looked him over and nodded satisfied. "No weapons on him, a few coins in his pocket and a wedding band are all the metal he's carrying. You travel light buddy." He said with a smile. Gohan just chuckled and gave him his patented Son grin.
"I like to live off of the land. I love nature." Kotetsu nodded and looked around at the towering trees surrounding the village.
"Well Konoha is definitely a good place to commune with nature my friend. Welcome to the village." Gohan bowed to them and waved goodbye as he passed through the massive gates into the interior of the city, and wondered just where he should start his search for information.
Oooooo
"Pan, the tracker indicates the ship is in there giru." Pan looked at the old abandoned mansion curiously, as she perched on the limb of a giant tree. The large vegetation was everywhere in this strange city. She had never seen such unique building structures in her life. There were no cars here, in fact she hadn't seen a single automobile in the entire place. Yet they definitely had technology. She had seen people with cell phones, and kids playing video games, and an electronics shop with some T.V.'s on display in the window. But there had been no trace of a car, or even a bike for that matter. What a strange place.
She shook her head as she stopped her mental ramblings. It was no time to be assessing the level of technology of the planet, not when she was so close to her goal. She turned anxious eyes to Giru's invisible form, and licked her lips. "You're sure the ship is in that house Giru?"
The little bot bobbed his head and pointed at it. "That's right Pan. The tracker points that way!" His hand pointed at the ground and Pan surmised that the ship must be beneath the house. Tightening her gloves, she took a deep breath, and with a look of determination made a fist.
"Then let's go find that ship." She said quietly as she took a step, preparing to launch out of the tree.
"Beautiful day for sightseeing, wouldn't you agree?" Her foot froze at the sound of the man addressing her from behind, and Pan turned to look over her shoulder, quirking her eye brow at the sight before her. A tall silver haired man wearing a green vest and a face mask was standing on the top of a wooden fence. He was holding a little orange book, and had a strange blue cloth wrapping with a metal plate covering one of his eyes. In fact she could remember seeing quite a few people wearing the strange cloth around various parts of their bodies.
Pan rolled her eyes at his nonchalant stance and bored expression, and turned back around. He was probably trying to hit on her or something with that lame pick up line. She was about to jump again, when she suddenly found an arm wrapped around her throat and something sharp pressed against her neck.
"I don't know why you've infiltrated this village and sought out the Yondaime's former mansion, but you're coming with me. The Hokage is very interested in meeting your acquaintance."
Pan smirked, but didn't move a muscle. "That was pretty impressive cyclops. I didn't even feel your presence, and your speed was notable."
Kakashi didn't say a word and pressed the kunai a little harder against her neck. "Thank you for the compliment, I get a lot during battle, but that doesn't change the fact that you're coming with me."
"Ooh, so forward. You're going to make a girl blush with that tone and killer instinct. But I'm afraid I'll have to decline that little date, I have something important to do." And before the jounin's astonished eye she disappeared from sight, leaving him standing in the same position, kunai still held at the ready.
"What the? I didn't even see her move or perform a single hand sign. What incredible speed."
"Wow, this is pretty kinky!" Kakashi's eye widened as he looked up and found the strange dark haired young woman sitting on a branch above him, her legs crossed. She had a very familiar looking orange book in her hand, and he instinctively reached into his vest, but nearly gasped when he found his book pouch empty. 'When did she?'
"You know, it kind of ruins your whole attempt at trying to be cool and aloof when you're reading porn while talking to somebody. But I have to admit, that this is some pretty good stuff. Ooh, I didn't know a person could bend like that, interesting."
'She isn't even worried about my presence at all. She's completely confident that she has the upper hand in this engagement. Either she has no idea who I am, or she's an incredibly skilled jounin. I have to apprehend her, not to mention get my book back. That's the limited edition signed by Jiraiya-sama himself. It's practically a national treasure!'
Pulling up his headband he locked onto her with his sharingan and predicted the direction she would try to dodge. Quickly, he pulled several kunai from various hidden pockets and launched them at her. She glanced up with a bored expression as the weapons passed her, and Kakashi grinned beneath his mask as he pulled the wires attached to their hilts. In a flash the kunai had wrapped metal wires around the entire branch she had been sitting on. The only problem was that she was no longer there.
"That's a pretty neat trick cyclops." Kakashi spun around and backed up, raising a kunai across his face. 'How did she get behind me?' He thought bewildered as she merely stood there, giving him an impish grin.
"You're pretty persistent aren't you?"
"I pride myself on my ability to apprehend my prey." He said, grinning beneath his face mask.
"Ooh, sounds rough, just the way I like it." Pan grinned seductively, and pulled her gloves tight again, relishing in the feeling of battle. It had been a while since she had a work out, and she was just itching to blow off some steam. After all, from the looks of that abandoned mansion, it was pretty unlikely she would find Naruto in there. This guy seemed like he might know something, and the Hokage that he had talked about might be someone with answers as well. Maybe she should play along with his little game, but there was no way she was going to make it easy on him.
"I'll make you a deal cyclops. If you can lay a single hand on me I'll give you your little book back, and I'll do anything you want me too. And I mean anything." She winked at him, and Kakashi gulped, his cheeks growing a bit hot under his mask. Who was this strange woman? And why was she so interesting?
"I may have to hold you to your word, um..."
"The name's Pan, and you are?"
'So she doesn't know who I am. That or she's just toying with me. Either option is viable.' "My name is Kakashi. Pleasure to meet you Pan."
The demisaiyan grinned and inclined her head. "Likewise Kakashi. Shall we begin?" And she again surprised the elite jounin by once more vanishing without a single hand sign or gathering any chakra. 'Interesting indeed.' He thought to himself, before leaping from the branch and beginning the chase.
Ooooo
Gohan sighed as he stood in the middle of the crowded market street. This place was huge! And the narrow winding streets didn't seem to have any sort of organization or common structure. He had been searching for a while for anything that might lead him to information about Naruto's whereabouts, but so far had come up empty handed. Maybe he should have gone with Pan after all. At least she had the tracker. Sighing to himself he leaned against the wall of a building as he tried to think, when something caught his eye. It was a young dark haired boy exiting a shop. He had raven black hair, and dark eyes. Not to mention his hair was unusually spiky. All strong traits found in saiyans and his family.
Could that be...? His heart hammering in his chest, Gohan silently trailed the boy. When he turned down an alley, the half saiyan jumped up onto a nearby rooftop to get a better look at him. He walked with confidence, and appeared quite powerful. That was to be expected if he had saiyan strength. The only things out of place were his somber eyes and brooding expression. But how could he expect his son to act any differently growing up without parents. His skin was also a bit pale, but that could easily be dismissed. He very well could be Naruto! Was his search almost over before it really began?
Sasuke's fist clenched tighter around the bag he was carrying as he continued down the alley. Somebody was watching him, he could feel it. Whether it was an enemy or not was still unclear, but being one of the last of the great Uchiha, he had dealt with assassination attempts in the past.
Or it could just be one of the annoying girls from his class stalking him. That happened regularly, much to his annoyance as well. Whoever it was, they were foolish to believe that they could escape his notice for long. Breaking into a sprint he suddenly turned a corner and concealed himself in the shadows of a building, masking his presence. He peered around the corner cautiously, but saw no trace of his pursuer.
"Is that really you?" The genin spun around at the unfamiliar voice, and backed away, pulling a kunai from his thigh holster. He eyed the pensive dark haired man in front of him. He didn't look threatening, but Sasuke knew that looks could be deceiving. He had learned that lesson very well.
"Who are you? What do you want with me?" He demanded in a harsh voice, trying to radiate as much killing intent as possible.
Gohan tried to reassure the boy with his gentle smile. Maybe appearing behind him hadn't been the best idea after all. He approached him with his hands up to show that he meant no harm. "It's okay, you can trust me. I won't hurt you son."
'Son?' Sasuke took a step back, freaked out by the strange smiling man. Was this guy insane or something? "I'm not your son now leave me alone!"
Gohan just took another step forward, holding out his hand. "It's okay Naruto, you don't have to be afraid. I really am your father."
"My name's Uchiha Sasuke and I know who my parents were psycho!"
Gohan froze, and dropped his hand. "Oh, uh...my mistake!" And then he vanished before the eyes of the startled Uchiha. Sasuke looked left and right, but there was no trace of the strange man. Sighing he put away his kunai and picked up his bag of supplies.
"What the hell was that about?" He mumbled to himself as he continued on his way home. Suddenly he froze, eyes going wide. "Did that guy just say Naruto?"
Ooooo
Gohan covered his eyes with his hand as he walked down the sidewalk. That had been so stupid! He felt like such an idiot for ambushing some random kid and declaring him his son. He probably thought he was some kind of crazy person. His stomach growled loudly, catching the attention of several passerby with its volume, and he patted it sheepishly. Maybe a bite to eat would clear his head and help his thought processes. A tantalizing aroma suddenly found its way into his nostrils and the hungry half-saiyan sniffed the air as he followed the scent. He soon found himself in front of a quaint little ramen stand, the delicious smell wafting from behind the entrance flap.
It had been awhile since he had a good bowl of ramen. Videl used to crave the stuff like mad when she was pregnant, jokingly saying it was all her little one wanted her to eat. He smiled, thinking it proper and kind of ironic that he would run across a ramen stand in his search for his son.
"Ichiraku's eh?" He murmured as he read the name of the shop on the sign. "Well, hope they have good ramen here." And he lifted the flap and stepped inside. A kindly looking older man wearing an apron and a pointed hat stood behind the counter next to a pretty brown haired young woman.
"Welcome to Ichiraku's ramen stranger!" The large man boomed in a deep voice with a smile. "My name is Ichiraku Teuchi and this is my daughter Ayame. How may we serve you today!" Gohan took a seat at the bar, and grabbed a menu hungrily. He looked over the list of entrees, mouth watering. They had a good variety of ramen here.
"Alright! I'll take three bowls of miso ramen, four bowls of pork, and uhhh...six bowls of the barbecue beef please!" Teuchi smiled widely as he took the large order, pen jotting down all the details.
"That'll be to go?" He said merrily, finishing up the order. Gohan gave him a puzzled frown and shook his head.
"No, I'd like to eat it here please." Teuchi's pen stopped moving and he looked from the order to the rather skinny man in glasses seated before him. But then realization dawned on him and he smiled, chuckling to himself.
"Expecting a bit of company eh?" To which Gohan shook his head once more.
"No, I'm all by myself." Teuchi couldn't help but stare wide eyed at the half saiyan, his jaw a bit slack.
"Dad!" Ayame whispered harshly and gave Gohan a pretty smile. "Thank you for your order, it'll be about fifteen minutes till it''s ready." Gohan nodded and sat back with a smile. Ayame smiled and grabbed her stupefied father by the arm and led him into the kitchen.
"There's another one?" Teuchi murmured in disbelief and Ayame rolled her eyes.
"We've been dealing with Naruto-kun's insane appetite for years now. I thought you'd be used to it."
"Naruto's a special case, unless..." His face paled slightly, but then he shook his head. 'No, there's no way he could be one too. I'm just being silly.' Ayame was staring strangely at him and he laughed sheepishly. "Never mind Ayame, let's get this order started." His daughter nodded and together they began to prepare Gohan's monstrous order.
About ten minutes later Ayame was smiling as she laid out part of Gohan's order on the counter. It was a bit too big to all fit and have room for anyone else eating. Gohan inhaled the aroma of the noodles and spices, drooling slightly. Picking up a pair of chopsticks, he broke them apart, and said eagerly.
"Itadakimasu!" And then the ramen chef and his daughter watched in fascinated horror as he began to devour everything in front of him.
Ooooo
"Man, that Konohamaru is one crazy kid!" Naruto said to himself as he walked down the street. His stomach grumbled loudly, and he patted it like a favorite pet. "Heh heh, looks like I worked up an appetite teaching him the Orioke no jutsu and using my new harem technique on that closet perv sensei of his. I think it's time for a stop at good ol' Ichiraku's."
He laughed to himself as he approached his home away from home, and threw back the entrance flap with a flourish, shouting.
"Old man! Four bowls of your best miso and pork ramen for Konoha's number one genin!"
Ooooo
Sarutobi read another report on the sighting of the strange dark haired woman that had been eluding his shinobi all day. Hatake Kakashi was the only one who could even hope to keep pace with the insanely fast woman, and he was beginning to worry about her intentions in the village. A knock on his door broke the Hokage from his musings and he gave the person outside permission to enter.
A cat masked ANBU walked into the office and bowed before him. "Hokage-sama, my squad and I have just returned from patrolling the perimeter of the village and I have some...interesting news you might wish to have."
"What kind of news? Is it some kind of trouble?" The aged Hokage asked wearily, wondering what else could happen that day.
"Not necessarily Hokage-sama, but it is a bit strange. As we were patrolling the area around the first battle sight where the Yondaime faced the Kyuubi we spotted two individuals exploring the battlefield. One was a tall dark haired man wearing glasses, and the other was a dark haired young woman with an orange bandanna around her neck. We would have dismissed the two as nothing more than travelers, but they errr...flew away from the clearing battle with incredible speed. We couldn't follow them. We finished our circuit of the village and returned as soon as we could. That is all I have to report sir."
The ANBU bowed once more, and the Hokage dismissed him. Left alone once more Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, thinking of the day's events. The two incidents were obviously related, but what was the connection? Who were these mysterious people. They had been spotted investigating the site where Naruto's ship had crashed. And hadn't Kakashi reported that he had caught the woman attempting to enter the Yondaime's mansion? That was where they had kept...
The Hokage's eyes widened and he gasped, his pipe falling from his mouth onto the floor, spreading embers across the rug. That was it! It had to be! They were looking for the ship! And that meant...
"Dear god they've finally come for him."
They were here to take Naruto, and return him home, wherever that could be. But they didn't know about the seal, or his wish to become Hokage, or dear god the Kyuubi! "Hawk! Sparrow!" He barked and two ANBU appeared at his side from the shadows. "I want you to locate Uzumaki Naruto as quickly as you can, and bring him here immediately! He was spotted around the city with my grandson, or may be at Ichiraku's ramen stand just outside the market district. Now go!"
"Hai, Hokage-sama!" They chorused as one, and vanished in a swirl of wind and leaves. After they had left the Sandaime scooped up his fallen pipe and re lit it with a minor fire technique. If he didn't speak with these people first, they could whisk Naruto away without ever learning of important facts. If he didn't hurry, they ran the risk of forever preventing him from gaining back his true power that had been sealed by the Yondaime. Not to mention the young boy had just achieved his dream of becoming a genin. At the least he wanted to speak with these people before they took him away forever.
Glancing at the portrait of his successor and now predecessor, Sarutobi sighed, and stared out over the village he loved
'Minato, what should I do now?'
Ooooo
Naruto grinned at Ayame and the old man, but then noticed that somebody else was currently eating at the ramen stand too, and that someone was on his bench. "Hey buddy! That's my seat you're squatting on!"
Gohan spun around at the sound of the shouting voice, and looked wide eyed at the short blond boy that had yelled at him. "Whmm, mmmr? (Who, me?) He tried to say through a mouth full of noodles.
"Yeah you!" The blond genin replied, pointing an accusing finger at him. Teuchi frowned at his number one customer and Ayame just giggled at his silly antics.
"Now don't be a brat, you know anyone's allowed to sit wherever they want Naruto."
Gohan choked on his mouthful of noodles, and doubled over, trying to force the food down his throat. 'Did that guy just say what I think he said?' He thought to himself, trying to get his breath.
"Are you alright sir?" Ayame asked in a concerned voice, offering him a glass of water. Gohan took it thankfully and gulped the liquid down, exhaling sharply as the noodles finally made it to his stomach.
"Wow mister, you can eat almost as much ramen as I can!" Gohan spun around and found the boy sitting next to him at the counter, a huge grin on his impish face. That smile was so familiar, and did he say he could eat as much as Gohan? Could this be...
"It's great to meet another person who loves ramen like I do!" He held out his hand and Gohan took it dumbly, giving the boy an uneasy smile. "The name's Uzumaki Naruto, number one shinobi of Konoha and future Hokage! What's your name niichan?
"I-I'm Gohan, nice to meet...you." He replied in a daze. It had to be a coincidence right? Videl had said that their son had black hair, but then again he could have bleached it. He did look like a little troublemaker. And that smile...
"Here you go Naruto! Four bowls of miso and chicken for my number one customer!" Naruto grinned at the old ramen chef and grabbed his chopsticks.
"Thanks old man! Itadakimasu!" And without another word he dove into his ramen with a ferocity that could match any saiyan. Gohan just watched him silently, beginning to see aspects of himself and Videl in the boy's face. He definitely had his mother's eyes, and his facial structure resembled his own. Could this really be his Naruto? It was almost unbelievable that he would find him so soon, but anything could happen with fate.
"Oi, buddy! Do I have something on my face? Why do you keep staring at me like that?" Naruto growled, annoyed that he was being stared at while he ate. But the look the guy was giving him wasn't hateful or cold, it was like he was searching for something in his face. And the genin found such a look to be oddly uncomfortable.
"Naruto, don't be so rude to the nice man!" Teuchi admonished with a wave of his finger.
"No, it's alright." Gohan said softly, understanding that he was sitting face to face with the son he had thought he had lost. Looking deep into his son's cerulean gaze, Gohan gave him a soft smile, his own eyes becoming moist.
"Naruto." He said, and the blond boy dropped his chopsticks, staring in disbelief.
"It's the same look." He whispered, not believing his eyes. It was the same look that had been on the face of the woman in his vision. The same strange emotion shone in this man's eyes, a look that made him want to cry, laugh, and scream all at the same time. "W-Who are you?" He asked hesitantly, and Gohan placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, a tear sliding down his cheek.
Teuchi and Ayame watched the touching scene unfolding before them, and the old ramen chef had to wipe away the wetness from his own eyes. Ayame's tears ran freely, and she glanced at her father. " Daddy, is he...?" She whispered and Teuchi nodded, causing her to gasp, and cover her mouth with her hand.
"Naruto, I'm your-" A loud explosion rocked the little ramen stand, and Gohan was suddenly blinded by a thick smoke. Ayame screamed and Ichiraku shouted hoarsely, as the smoke caused them all to cough violently. Gohan looked frantically around for his son, but the boy had disappeared from sight. "Naruto!" He called out loudly, and a shadow appeared within the smoke, before suddenly vanishing from sight.
He ran out of the stand, and looked up and down both sides of the street, catching a glimpse of a robed figure leaping over a rooftop. He blasted off at incredible speed and slammed into the fleeing person. Ramming his forearm across the masked individual's neck, Gohan pushed him roughly against the side of a building, glaring fiercely into his eye holes. "Where did you take him?!" He demanded angrily, but the masked man said nothing, turning away his head.
Gohan increased the pressure on his neck, until he was sure he had completely cut off the man's air supply, and was just short of crushing his throat. "Answer me!" He shouted, flaring his energy, causing an aura of blue fire to envelop his entire body.
"I'll...die...before...I...betray...Hokage-s-sama." The man choked out, and Gohan held him until he went limp in his grasp, having fallen unconscious.
"So it's that Hokage person again." He turned to see Pan staring at him a few feet away, and he let the unconscious masked man crumple to the ground.
"You know who he was talking about?" Gohan asked in surprise and Pan confused him by just grinning and shaking her head.
"No, but that guy knows all about him." She pointed over her shoulder, and Gohan looked and saw an exhausted looking masked man with silver hair and one red eye leaning against the building for support. He put his hands on his knees and wheezed, trying to catch his breath, sweat covering his face.
"I...finally...caught...you." He gasped, and Pan just chuckled, folding her arms. "Uh uh Kakashi-kun. Our bet was that you had to lay a hand on me, not catch sight of me.
Kakashi chuckled as well and stood up. "A minor technicality." He said, before finding himself slammed against the wall, Gohan's hand around his neck.
"You will take me to this Hokage!" He ground out and Kakashi gave him a blank stare, while Pan started laughing hysterically.
"That's what I've been trying to do all day." He said calmly, and Gohan looked confused before letting him go with a nervous chuckle. Kakashi stretched his sore neck, and took a deep breath, composing himself. "Now if you would please follow me I would be happy to take you to the Hokage."
The jounin sighed and leaped away, and Pan walked up next to him. "That was priceless!" She said with a grin and took off after the masked shinobi, leaving a very confused Gohan behind. The half saiyan blinked, before realizing that he had been left behind.
"Hey, wait for me!" He shouted and took off after the other two.
Ooooo
Sarutobi was looking over some documents when his door was suddenly violently thrown open and his two chuunin guards were sent sprawling across the floor. He merely raised an eyebrow as two people, followed by a ruffled looking Hatake Kakashi entered his office soon after. The two chuunin got painfully to their feet and shuffled out the door, giving the woman terrified glances as they passed her on their way out.
Kakashi stepped forward and inclined his head, before putting his hands in his pockets. "Here are the intruders per your orders Hokage-sama." He simply said and fell silent.
"Thank you Kakashi. You may leave now. I would like to speak to them in private." Bowing once more the jounin made a hand sign, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"Kage bunshin eh?" He said with a humorous chuckle, and motioned for his two guests to sit. Gohan did so, but Pan remained standing with her arms folded arrogantly across her chest and merely glared at him.
The Hokage cleared his throat, and gave them a smile, inclining his head. "First of all I would like to welcome both of you to the hidden village of Konoha. My name is Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage and leader of this village."
Gohan inclined his head as well and smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you Sarutobi-sama, I'm Gohan and this is my daughter Pan." The Hokage nodded to her, and Pan just continued to glare.
The Hokage chuckled and shook his head. "I assure you that neither I nor my village mean either of you any harm."
"Then why did you kidnap my little brother?" Pan snapped at him, fist clenching. The Hokage sighed, and lit his pipe, blowing a stream of smoke into the air.
"You are referring to young Naruto of course." He glanced at Gohan, looking him up and down. "And I take it that you must be Naruto's father then?" Gohan nodded and the Hokage sat back with a sigh. "Then the time has finally come. We knew that someone would come for him eventually, but you definitely took your time."
"There were, complications." Gohan said carefully, and the Hokage nodded.
" I already know of the strange vessel your son arrived in when he crash landed near our village. I was wondering if you would be willing to tell me your story, before I tell you mine. It is something that I have always wished to know. Are you from another planet, or just another part of the world. Please explain to me how he came to be here alone, and why it took you so long to finally reach him, if you wouldn't mind."
Gohan looked to his daughter, and Pan rolled her eyes before finally sighing in exasperation. "Fine! I'll tell the story. But you better let us meet Naruto after this." She said solemnly, and the Sandaime nodded, sitting forward eagerly in his chair to listen.
"It all started twelve years ago, with a monstrous entity known in our universe as Broly..."
A/N: And that's it for now kiddies. Next chapter will be a flashback explaining what happened with the Z fighters in the twelve years before Pan and Gohan arrived in Konoha. And after that will of course be the fated meeting!! I can't wait! So if you enjoyed this chapter I would be so so appreciative if you would leave me some feedback! Your reviews are the fuel we authors crave to motivate us to write! We do this not only for our own enjoyment, but yours as well. So please leave a comment and tell me what you thought. Until next time, this is Engineered_Chaos signing off! JA!
Translations:
Kinzoku jiseki- Metal Trace.
Orioke no jutsu- Sexy technique.
***OMAKE!!***
"Wow! This thing looks awesome!" Naruto cried as he spun around in front of the full body mirror.
Bulma, who was sitting in a chair, laughed at his excitement, and grinned wide. "Glad you like it kid! Your dad fought a lot of bad guys wearing that outfit. He was the city's symbol of justice and truth, protector of the weak and all that."
Naruto put the gleaming white helmet on his head and practiced a few poses in the mirror. "Hyah, Hwah, Hoo! Fear me evildoers, for I am the great Saiyaman!!!" He flourished his cape, and did a handstand, trying to mimic one of the Saiyaman poses his father had told him about.
"And what superhero is complete without his trusty sidekick?" Bulma said loudly to the closed door, waiting for it to open.
"I-I don't think th-this outfit suits me very well Naruto-kun." A timid voice called from behind the door. Naruto stopped his posing practice and removed his helmet. He frowned, placing his hands on his hips.
"Come on Hinata-chan! I can't be Saiyaman #1 without my trusty side-kick Saiyaman #2!!" Bulma laughed and slapped her knee, winking at her nephew. "He's right Hinata-chan, now come out here so we can get a good look at you!"
A sigh came from behind the door, followed by a rustle of movement. "O-Okay then, I'm coming out now."
The door swung open and Hinata stood before them, a blush on her face as she wore Videl's old Saiyaman #2 costume. The only problem was that it was the exact costume that Naruto's mother had worn, and to the shy Hyuuga's mortification, the chest was extremely tight. It was so tight, that she was practically busting out of it as she stood in front of a stupefied Naruto and laughing Bulma.
"D-Does it look alright on me Naruto-kun?" She said softly and hugged her arms beneath her ample chest, causing the flesh to jiggle slightly. Blood immediately erupted from Naruto's nose and he fell backwards, tripping on his cape and crashing to the floor.
"Naruto-kun!" She called in alarm and rushed to his side, kneeling over him.
"Hinata-chan?" The dazed demi saiyan said groggily and sat up, his face colliding directly with Hinata's ample, soft cleavage. Hinata gasped, and Naruto instantly fell backwards, unconscious from sensory overload.
"Naruto-kun!" She wailed and tried to shake him awake. Bulma by now was literally rolling on the ground laughing her ass off.
The door swung open and Goten and Trunks poked their heads in, faces concerned. "Is something wrong?! We heard a crash!" They both said simultaneously, and froze at the sight of Hinata in the Saiyaman costume kneeling over the unconscious Naruto with Bulma in tears she was laughing so hard in the background.
"Uhhh, never mind." They said blushing and closed the door.
"That Naruto is such a lucky bastard!" the occupants of the room heard Goten say loudly as he walked down the hall.
Hinata's cheeks turned crimson, and Bulma just started laughing harder.
...XD!!! I couldn't resist when this popped into my head! Forgive me!!! (Runs away)