A/N: There are so many similarities between these two universes, that I couldn't resist writing a crossover. For the DBZ part this takes place a few months after the Buu Saga with Gohan and Videl being around 18 years old, finishing up their last year of school. For the Naruto part this takes place a year after the war, with Hinata and Naruto being around 18 as well. It's all canon up to this point except that Neji will be alive (because Neji will always be alive in my heart). For this story I'm ignoring 'The Last' movie, and Gohan and Videl did not get together after the Buu saga.
Chapter 1 - The mission
Videl Satan twisted in mid-air as she tried to land a flying kick to Gohan's head. She was panting with exhaustion and frustration, and she tried not to grit her teeth at how calmly he dodged her attacks.
"You're a bit slower than usual, Videl," Gohan's brows furrowed in concern, "Do we need to adjust your weights?"
Videl glared at him. His intention was kind, and she obviously knew that his alien genes gave him a humungous advantage, but she could not help feeling weak at his words. It didn't really help that she was sweating profusely, and he looked as fresh as he had when they had started their training. He was wearing his purple gi, with the red bands, and the lone bang hanging from his spiky hair was not even stuck to his forehead with sweat as it sometimes was when he sparred with Goku. Videl obviously didn't pose a challenge to him. She had to work to keep the glare on her face as she could not help but simultaneously appreciate his handsome features.
"I'm fine," she grunted, narrowing her eyes at him in accusation, "I'm never going to catch up to Krillin if you keep taking it easy on me."
Gohan chuckled guiltily, scratching the back of his head self-consciously. A bright blush crossed his face as he waved his hands in front of his face in denial.
"I'm not taking it easy on you, Videl," he insisted, "You're just trying to do too much too soon. Your current weights are already double what Master Roshi recommended. It took Krillin decades to reach his current level of strength. You won't catch up to him in a few months, no matter how much you push yourself."
Videl raised her eyebrow at him, as he did not seem to realise how hypocritical he was being. These Saiyans constantly surpassed their limitations by pushing themselves. On the one hand, she knew that, as a human, there was a limit to how strong she could get. On the other hand, she felt Gohan was underestimating her. He could be a bit overprotective sometimes.
"Let's take a break," Videl muttered, wiping the sweat off her forehead, and plopping herself down on the grass. She turned to admire the lake where they were training near Gohan's home as she tried to get her breathing back under control.
After everything that had happened with Majin Buu, Videl was more determined than ever to get stronger. She had trained so long for the World Martial Arts Tournament, only to get knocked out by that juiced up Spopovitch. When Videl had admitted to Gohan that she already wanted to start preparing for the next Tournament, her Saiyan friend had been extremely supportive. At first, he had accompanied her while she trained in the Turtle School of martial arts on the weekends with Master Roshi and Krillin. But eventually Gohan's overprotectiveness irritated her, and she lost her temper. He had never said anything. Gohan would never interrupt her training like that. But she knew him well enough to sense his worry through his eyes and his body language, and it distracted her. She had to order him to leave. Krillin had teased them both relentlessly, but Gohan had waved off any notions that they were a couple. Much to her disappointment.
Gohan joined her on the ground and passed her some water, which she drank gratefully. She took off the training weights around her wrists and ankles and lay back on the grass to frown at the clouds. Gohan wore a soft smile as he looked down at her tolerantly. Videl was thankful that he was never put off by her stubbornness.
"You still have a few years before the tournament," Gohan tried to cheer her up, "Knowing you, you'll become as strong as Yamcha in a few months. And in a year or two…"
Gohan trailed off as Videl sat up suddenly and stared at him in disbelief. His cheeks turned pink at her sudden proximity, and he scratched his cheek nervously. Videl's eyes softened at how flustered he still got around girls. It was adorable.
"Gohan, do you honestly think that I can beat Krillin, even if I train every single day until the tournament?" Videl asked him with a raised eyebrow. She knew he believed in her. But she was realistic enough to know her own strength. "I know I need to push harder and do some drastic training to even stand a chance against him. So, I can't afford to take it easy."
Gohan sighed and stared off towards the mountains as he thought. Videl could not help but admire his profile. Even sitting down, he still towered over her, and she hated to admit how much she liked to look up at him. His spiky black hair looked soft and inviting, and she often had to resist the urge to run her hands through it. His kind dark eyes were focused, and his lips were pursed in contemplation. His already gorgeous muscles had become even more defined after his time with the Elder Kai. He also seemed a bit calmer and more self-assured. It was throwing Videl off.
Usually, she knew she could make him nervous, and it gave her a sense of confidence and mischief to tease him. But lately he was less flustered and more centred. It was making her reluctant to tease him, which was the only way she knew how to flirt. He was still completely clueless though. Videl had lost track of how many times her flirting and hinting had gone over his head these last few months. In truth, she was as bad at flirting as Gohan was at noticing hints. They were still attending their last few months of school, and she had been training with Krillin on the weekends. But when the bald monk announced that he would also be participating in the tournament, Videl didn't think it was right to remain his student. She hadn't wanted to intrude on Gohan's studies, so she had gone to train with Tien Shinhan in the Crane style for a bit. But their personalities were too different, and she struggled to adapt to Tien's teaching style. Since then, Gohan had graciously offered to help her train on the weekends instead, and she had been subtly trying to get closer to him. But sometimes, like now, her frustration with her progress got in the way of her pathetic attempts at flirtation.
"Krillin's the strongest human I know," Gohan admitted, taking Videl out of her spiralling thoughts, "And even if you could somehow match his strength, his years of experience would become a factor. The two of you are pretty much equal in skill, but since you use the same fighting style, he will still have the advantage."
Gohan was sounding pretty discouraged at this point, but Videl felt her face light up at his words. She grabbed his arm and stared up into his face, making his eyes widen.
"That's it, Gohan!"
"That's w-what?" Gohan looked confused and taken aback by her excitement. He jerked his head back nervously and flushed at her sudden closeness.
"I'll just master a different fighting style! Preferably one that Krillin doesn't know yet," Videl pulled away from him and punched her fist into her hand, too excited to appreciate his flustered reaction. "All I need is something unexpected to create an opening or two. It'll totally catch him off guard!"
Gohan noticed her eyes gleaming, and he grinned at her tenacity. He felt drawn to her when she became so determined. Her ki always became brighter when she was excited. He wished he loved the thrill of fighting as much as she did.
"Yeah! That's the spirit!" Gohan laughed, "I'm sure we'll find something great you can work with."
Videl was so excited by her idea, she couldn't sit still. She needed to get home and find out everything she could about different fighting styles. She jumped up, reinvigorated. Gohan was taken aback once more, and his eyes widened at her sudden burst of energy. Videl was so unpredictable. It was fascinating. Mostly she was cool, calm, and collected. Then there were times, like now, when she could not contain her excitement. He was always surprised how someone who fought so gracefully could have such wild and sudden movements sometimes.
"I've got to go do some research right now!" Videl's eyes were far away, already imagining all the different techniques in existence. But she came down from her high for a bit as she remembered that Gohan was there, "Thanks for training with me today, Gohan. I know your mom can't be happy that I'm cutting into your studying time."
Gohan chuckled nervously and got to his feet, looking down at his petite friend.
"It's okay. She's encouraging it actually," he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, "She keeps insisting we're going to get married. She doesn't mind me slowing down my studies to secure a fighter as a daughter-in-law. As long as I'm prepared and I don't fall behind."
His cheeks were burning red in embarrassment as he chuckled at Chi-Chi's forcefulness. Videl faked a laugh as well, but she couldn't help the pink tinge in her face. She needed to get out of here before Gohan saw how disappointed she was that he thought the idea of them being a couple was ridiculous.
"Well, that's good, I guess. I really appreciate having you as a training partner," Videl gave a forced chuckle, "Uhm…I gotta get home. I'll see you on Monday, Gohan. Tell Goten and your folks I said goodbye."
Gohan looked like he wanted to say something, but Videl turned and threw the capsule containing her jet copter onto the grass. She waved at him cheerfully as she hopped into the cabin and took off. Gohan seemed confused and somewhat disappointed as he waved back slowly. Videl let out a breath of relief that Gohan could not see her cheeks burning from this height.
Naruto Uzumaki tilted his head in confusion at his Hokage's words. Kakashi had just informed him that he was being assigned to a two-month mission to protect some members of the Hyuuga clan.
"Why would they need me to protect them, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto stroked his chin thoughtfully, "The Hyuugas are pretty strong. I don't see why I need to go if Neji will be there. Isn't it the duty of the branch family to protect the head family?"
Kakashi sighed. No matter how much his apprentice had grown, Naruto would always question his mission orders if he thought he was not going to see any action. But Kakashi was long past the point of trying to trick Naruto into thinking he was going on a super S-class ranked mission. He tried for the truth this time.
"Because we don't know much about this continent they're going to. It's called the Dragon World, and their civilisation is much more advanced than ours. We've received many reports that exceptionally strong enemies have appeared there, only to be beaten by an even stronger group of warriors. Because we don't know much about the continent, your duty will not only be to prevent the Byakugan from falling into enemy hands, but also to observe their culture and report back what you find."
Naruto and Kakashi were alone in the Hokage's office. Naruto had just been promoted to Jounin and this would be his first solo mission since the war had ended the year before. Kakashi had noticed Naruto getting itchy feet during this time of peace as the missions started to dry up. This was the perfect mission for him. Naruto was accustomed to travelling and meeting all kinds of people due to his travels with Jiraiya. He was also probably the strongest shinobi in the world. No one could provide better protection or provide a better way to test the battle strength of any possible enemies. He was clever enough to report back on anything that stood out in the continent, while the mere warmth of his presence was usually enough to deescalate tensions if conflict were to break out.
"How come I've never heard of this Dragon World?" Naruto folded his arms with a frown.
"There are few who know of it," Kakashi shrugged, "The five Kage have always been aware of the continent, but since it takes a long journey by ship to reach it, it's never really been an area of political interest to the feudal lords. Some of the shinobi in Konoha share ancestors with some of the shinobi who live there."
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. This was the first he had heard of shinobi living on a different continent. He wondered why Jiraiya had never mentioned it, or if he had known about it.
"What do we know about this continent? Who are these shinobi who live there?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi handed a report to Naruto, who briefly looked through it, while Kakashi continued speaking.
"That's everything we know. They don't have the feudal system over there. It seems they are mostly ruled by several monarchs and elected officials, but you'll need to confirm that," Kakashi shrugged, "Most of this we learned from Guy's ninja tortoise summon, Ningame. He has a sea turtle cousin, Umigame, who took on a human apprentice named Muten Roshi, also known as the Turtle Hermit. This man is skilled in several ninja techniques, but they do not call themselves shinobi over there. They refer to themselves as martial artists. While we fight for the sake of our village; they mostly fight for fun and prestige. And what we call chakra, they refer to as ki."
Naruto was dumbfounded and a bit excited. He had never expected to meet shinobi from different cultures who did not adhere to the one-country-one-village system. Perhaps he could learn some new techniques while he was over there.
"Their supreme leader is King Furry, who is descended from the first ninja hound to partner with the Inuzuka clan. Every fifty years or so the contract needs to be renewed, so Kiba and Shino will be accompanying you for a short while as they have a separate mission to meet with King Furry." Kakashi continued, looking over his own notes, "Your contact person will be a man called the Ox King. His grandfather was from the Akimichi clan, and he was also a student of this Turtle Hermit, but it seems they are both retired shinobi – or martial artists as they say."
"Geez, how many kings do they have?" Naruto muttered a complaint in exasperation. Then he narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "Ne, Kakashi-sensei? Are you sure you need me on this mission? How strong can they really be if their supreme leader is a dog, ya know?"
Kakashi's expression became stern, as it usually was when Naruto slipped back into the bad habit of underestimating his enemies. Since he had gone for his Sage training, these instances were few and far between, but they usually occurred when Naruto hadn't been challenged by a strong enemy in a while.
"I'll tell you how strong they are," Kakashi's face became serious, "This Ox King was once considered one of the fiercest tyrants. His only daughter was considered the strongest Kunoichi on their continent. And then she married a man from a different planet – a man with an incredible bloodline limit, who defeated an army single-handedly and has defended the Dragon World from every major attack for decades. For all we know, they come from the same planet as the Otsutsuki. That's something else you should investigate."
Kakashi was trying to intimidate Naruto a bit so he would take this mission more seriously. But it was only making Naruto more excited. Kakashi hoped that the Otsutsuki weren't involved, but he had always preferred being proactive.
"What kind of bloodline limit?" Naruto asked eagerly.
Kakashi sighed, exasperated that Naruto would pick up on that part over everything else he had mentioned.
"Apparently the man belongs to a clan of ruthless warriors called the Saiyans, who are not originally from Earth. They heal fast, and they get immensely more powerful after they recover from a life-threatening injury. Their stamina may be even more boundless than yours, Naruto. The bloodline limit also allows them to undergo several transformations, each of which comes with a significant boost in strength. The Saiyan clan was wiped out when their planet was destroyed, but there are five who survived, and two of them are grandsons of the Ox King, the man the Hyuugas are going to visit. These Saiyans may be even stronger than you, and I have no idea what their intentions are. That is why we are sending you along to provide additional protection to Hiashi, Hinata and Hanabi."
Naruto finally seemed to understand the seriousness of the situation. If these Saiyans were truly this strong, then the branch family may not be enough to prevent them from taking the Byakugan if that was what they were after.
"Okay, okay, I got it, ya know!" Naruto frowned at the report in his hands, staring at a photo of a small family consisting of a goofy looking father, a beautiful mother, an infant, and a large man who could only be the Ox King. "So, why is Hinata's old man going to visit this Ox King anyway?"
"They will also be on a fact-finding mission to provide reports about the continent. While they focus on the political and cultural structure, you should focus on determining their military strength. The rest is not really relevant to your mission. All you need to know is that the Hyuuga clan was nearly decimated after the war, and Hiashi is determined to ensure the survival of his clan. I'm certain he intends to use this trip to make strong alliances."
Kakashi knew that Hiashi intended to use these alliances to strengthen the next generation of Byakugan users. He also had a suspicion about what form these alliances would take. But he was determined not to tell Naruto about this. He had a feeling that this knowledge would only upset his easily distracted pupil.
Thursday morning found Videl pacing up and down the school roof, biting her lip to keep from getting too excited. She glanced at her watch for the third time and frowned. Gohan was late. Her police communicator had not gone off at all, so she did not think there was a crime in progress.
She looked up to the sky once more, and this time she saw a flash of green and red as Gohan flew towards her. She sighed in relief. School hadn't started yet. Now she wouldn't have to wait until after school to talk to him. Gohan landed near her and deactivated his Saiyaman suit. Videl could not help but smile as his dorky clothing replaced his dorky superhero outfit. But the adorable smile he wore as he greeted her drew her attention straight to his face and she barely noticed anything else. Videl felt herself relax in his presence.
"Hey Videl," he smiled warmly at her, "You're a bit earlier than usual."
Videl narrowed her eyes at him playfully.
"You're the one who's a bit late, Gohan," she teased. "As usual. Did you stop a crime on the way or something?"
Gohan chuckled sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"Actually, Goten ate all my breakfast this morning. I had to wait for my mom to make more."
Videl smiled at this typical Son family explanation. "And, of course, you couldn't survive a school day without emptying your entire pantry."
Gohan laughed a full belly laugh, long since past being embarrassed about his gigantic appetite.
"Pretty much, yeah," he smirked, "So what's up, Videl? Did you want to speak to me about something?"
Videl suddenly remembered why she was up here waiting for him so early. It was so easy for her to get distracted by him. Gohan was the only one who could distract her from her fighting career; and vice versa. But now her excitement returned.
"Yeah. Remember I said I wanted to learn a new fighting style?" Videl asked, "I searched for quite a while, but everything I came across were styles I'm sure Krillin had already heard of. But then I found an article saying that Fire Mountain is going to be hosting members of the Hyuuga clan towards the end of this month. That's your grandfather's kingdom, right?"
Videl's eyes were glittering in anticipation, and she barely noticed the hesitant nod that Gohan gave her. His voice was also reluctant as he confirmed her question.
"Yeah, my grandpa is still technically the Ox King. He actually came to lunch on Sunday to tell us that the Hyuugas would be coming."
What Gohan did not mention was that the Hyuuga clan had put in a request to meet their entire family. They wanted to form an alliance of sorts, and since the Ox King's bank vaults were slowly emptying and they would be paying him for their accommodations, he was happy to host them. Gohan's grandfather told them all about the land his own grandfather had hailed from. The land was still quite rural but was home to incredibly skilled fighters. Goku was excited to meet them and fight them, but Chi-Chi had warned them all that these old clans were quite manipulative and probably wanted something from them. As a family, they decided to be cautious in their meetings and dealings with the Hyuugas so as not to become unnecessarily indebted to them. Gohan was suddenly apprehensive about this conversation with Videl.
"That's so cool!" Videl continued obliviously, "So, you'll totally have an in with them! I did some research about the Hyuugas, and I couldn't find much, even using my dad's security access. All I could find was that they are a legendary fighting family and that they've mastered a fighting style called the Gentle Fist. It's supposed to be an incredibly powerful technique that manipulates the flow of your opponent's ki. I'm sure it's something Krillin hasn't heard of yet. Do you think you could use your influence with the Ox King to get me a meeting with the clan leader, Gohan?"
Videl's eyes sparkled with excitement, and she held both his hands in hers as she pleaded. Gohan's cheeks turned pink at the contact. But he looked off to the side so hesitantly that Videl finally noticed his reluctance.
"Uh…Gee, I don't know, Videl. My mom's cautious about these old clans. They're really secretive about their techniques. And even if they do agree to train you, I'm sure they'll want something in return."
Videl pulled back and looked up at him with a confused frown. Did Gohan know something about the Hyuuga clan that she did not? He was usually so supportive of her training. But she wasn't going to be put off by his reaction.
"I'll be happy to pay the price," Videl pleaded, not quite understanding Gohan's averseness, "I'll handle all the negotiations myself; I just need you to make the introduction for me. Come on, Gohan, please do this for me?"
Her intense sapphire blue eyes sparkled up at him and he gave in almost instantly. How could someone with the spirit of a Pitbull have such puppy eyes when she wanted something? How could he resist giving her what she wanted when she looked at him like that?
"Please, Gohan? If I were smarter than you, I'd offer to do your homework for a month," Videl rambled on, not knowing that she'd already won this battle. "I'll bring extra lunch for you for a week. I'll protect you from Erasa when she tries to take you shopping…"
Gohan interrupted her with a laugh, and she brightened as she realised he was giving in.
"You're supposed to protect me from Erasa anyway!" He teased slyly. "But that extra lunch sure sounds good."
The sound of the bell ringing couldn't quite cover up Videl's yell of triumph.
"Awesome! So, you'll do it?" she smirked.
Gohan couldn't help but shake his head fondly at how she could switch so quickly between adorableness and cockiness. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't come to regret this.
"Yeah, okay. I'll introduce you to Hiashi Hyuuga."
Videl fist pumped the air and hurtled forward to give him a kiss on the cheek. She noticed him stumbling backwards and looking dazed at her action, but she couldn't bring herself to regret her boldness.
"Thanks, Gohan! You're the best," she grinned up at him. "Now, come on! We're going to be late for class."
Videl ran for the door of the roof, pulling a blushing and stuttering Gohan along behind her.
A/N: Let me know what you guys thought? If anyone can guess what's going to happen next, please leave a review. I'm curious to see if I'm setting the right tone. This story will be less than 15 chapters long, and I'll make sure to finish it. I've got a general outline of the story, but I might review my plans if someone posts an interesting idea. Also, if you have any interesting similarities between the fandoms that you think I should bring in, please let me know. R&R to motivate me to continue writing.
