AN: This is supposed to have all the rejected content from TNDO like Sakura's pre-empted fight with Goku, varying wildly in tone from chapter-to-chapter. It's been exclusively Super snippets mostly with Whis being Whis instead.

In my defense, I was going to write a much more serious chapter with Sakura fighting (the pathetic version of) Zamasu but halfway through I forgot what I was planning to do with it beyond the fight and then I just let it linger until it deleted itself.

Oh well. I guess you could say there's just no way to know what's not going to happen any sooner than Super. Just a reminder for anyone who's forgotten because this is even more infrequently updated than TNDO: the only strict connection this has to that is that anything which happens here won't happen there. It's not hinting at future developments, relationships, or anything else. (just give me this. at my current pace we're going to reach Super in relative real time to when TNDO is right now)

The Dimension After Next

4

"You cannot just keep showing up every time you have a tournament you need a substitute for."

"Strictly speaking..." the blue being whose entire existence seemed to be split between food and annoying her gave a vague gesture with one hand. "This is in fact an invitation to your entire universe. Not yourself alone."

"My wh-"

"But...we still need you on our team!"

"Goku." She placed her hands on the man's shoulders. It took a great amount of effort to then shake him like a rattle. "Nothing that you've said has made any sense since you rudely interrupted my dinner."

Whis tapped his staff onto the ground, and then gave a polite cough. "Truthfully...the one given the invitation to this universe is your god of destruction. They'll be the ones responsible for assembling the fighting force representing this place. However...Lord Beerus has already arranged with your local god of destruction to allow for an exception on your part, so I see no harm in alerting you to the situation as well. The Great Zeno has decreed there shall be a grand tournament assembling warriors across all universes, to battle for the ultimate prize. Continued existence."

"Contin..." She held up a hand to forestall any further comment from any of the three clowns standing in front of her. For a few moments, she closed her eyes, reflecting back on that wash of euphoria she felt when Majin Buu finally vanished from the world and they'd surely vanquished the worst of all threats they could possibly ever encounter in that world. "...Zeno is the little guy from the other tournament, who showed up at the end, right?"

"The Omni-King, yes." She didn't need to open her eyes to note the slight terseness that slipped into Whis' voice in his correction.

"Goku." She still did not need to open her eyes to know exactly the look on his face. "What did you do?"

"...Sakura! Imagine how many new, powerful opponents we're going to be able to meet and fight this way! Everyone who shows up is going to be the strongest of their entire universe-!"

The man who once stood much shorter than her and now towered over her wisely silenced himself the moment her eyes opened again.

Whis was a difficult man to truly read, but she couldn't help but think there lingered in his eyes a slight hint of satisfaction as he observed Goku's sudden stillness.

Exactly what had she missed this time?

She sighed finally, glancing over to the third of the troupe in front of her, the reticent Saiyan who'd accompanied Goku the last time they'd wanted to recruit her to a ridiculous tournament. "...Now, explain to me: if my universe is already involved, why would I be fighting on your team instead of mine?"

"Why else?" Vegeta growled from where he stood. "Kakarot's gone even more mad than he usually is."

Goku sighed. "Vegeta-"

She planted her hands on her hips. "Please do explain."

"This mad fool wants to fill out our missing spot with Frieza."

"Whu-.." She wasn't actually aware of that first sound making it out of her throat. And she wasn't too sure what other gibberish followed for a few seconds. That's...

That was...

"What-?!"

"Well we don't have to turn to Frieza if you'll join us!" Goku really did sound as if he was making a completely fair and rational argument. And not extorting her.

"Are you seriously blackmailing me with suicide?"

Whis hummed lightly. "You have no idea."

Before she could address the inappropriately amused man, Goku spoke up again, right over anything anyone else might have said. "If you show up for another universe then they'll find out you weren't from ours to begin with!"

She squinted at him then. Not Goku. Whis. "...Let me guess, that'd invalidate the results of the previous tournament?"

Another vague, noncommittal gesture. "It is certainly possible Lord Champa would find the results invalid and retroactively demand a reversal. It would, after all, allow him to claim Universe 7's current Earth-bound warriors as his own."

...That meant he'd almost certainly do it.

So it wasn't about Frieza that Beerus had decided to circumvent whatever technicalities and rules the tournament had laid down, but his old rivalry with his brother.

She drew in a breath and then released it in a sigh. "...Except if I fight on your side, my universe is involved this time, too, right? You'd be asking me to fight my own comrades just to keep up the charade."

"To be clear, the Great Zeno will have to know the truth." Whis spoke over whatever it was that Goku was about to say. "As overseer, it would cause rather...extreme complications if he did not. Strictly, the only one who is not to know is Lord Champa himself."

She squinted at him. "Beerus cares that much about getting one over on his brother."

"Well..."

"Then I have a condition." The person who spoke was not, in fact her. Nor anyone in front of her.

The rich voice that filled the silence was that of her husband. He'd remained behind in Konoha during the last tournament due to last minute obligations, so it was no surprise at all that the expressions on her old comrades' faces were obviously intrigued.

Goku was the first to speak, as if he were the one able to make agreements on behalf of Beerus. "What's the condition?"

"If my wife is to fight for your universe...then Naruto and I will be representing this one." A slim, firm hand settled on her shoulder, and a flash of subtle warmth met her gaze when she looked up toward him as he stepped next to her.

Whis spoke before Goku could get his excited agreement out. "...Well. That isn't a decision any of us in this room can make...but I believe Lord Beerus may be able to arrange it. If you truly believe you can handle the competition. You do understand, however, that you'll be on opposing sides in this situation?"

Sasuke made a short sound that she recognized to be amusement from him. "I'm aware."

Vegeta crossed his arms then, a small, appraising smirk forming on his lips. "Well then. After everything this woman has said, I hope you don't disappoint."

"Yeah!" Goku grinned, gripping his fists in front of himself - somehow ever still the boy she met years ago even as a grown man. "Now I'm even more pumped for the tournament!"

Sasuke glanced down at her once more - the subtle flash of warmth still there in his eyes - before turning to walk back deeper into the house once more. "I'll inform Naruto."

"I can't help but be curious." Whis spoke up once more, with enough authority that her husband stopped in place, if only for a short time. "Of all the demands you could have made, it's strange to insist you face your own wife as an opponent."

Her husband hesitated a few moments, as if - quite probably - considering walking away without giving Whis any further answer. "...Only the universe that wins gets to survive, isn't that right?"

Whis gave a small nod.

He really did continue walking away then, and his voice trailed after him. "My wife won't be challenged by anyone else."