Hello everyone and welcome back to another chapter of A Tale Of Two Heros. I want to thank everyone for the reviews I've gotten as of late. I appreciate them and even the occasional criticism I'm bound to receive. I will continue to produce chapters in a timely manner but I can't promise all will come out in like a weeks time. One after another ya know?
Anyway lets get on with the story. That's why you all are here.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of course, not Naruto or DragonBall/Z related.
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(On an unknown Island.)
"Are you all ready to begin your training?" Master Roshi asked, eyeing each of his new students. He was looking for uncertainty, any possible doubts that would hinder them from training. He didn't find it in any of them, even Sakura, who was the weakest of the group.
Master Roshi had decided it would be best to relocate them from his much smaller island to find a more suitable place to train. If he had allowed them to train on his island, the old hermit had no doubt his home would be gone by the end of the day. So here they found themselves on a much larger and more suitable location. Master Roshi also decided he would try to get a bit of information out of his new students, learn what type of experience they have in combat.
"So Krillin, do you have any past experiences with Martial Arts?" He asked the Monk.
"Yeah I studied for eight years at the Orinji Temple, they taught me everything I know about combat." Krillin answered with a grin, confident in his abilities.
"I see." Roshi then turned to Team Seven. "What about you three?"
"Before and after a certain Incident with my clan, I've studied in the Uchiha Inceptor Fist Style." Sasuke said, stressing the word incident. Only Naruto and Sakura knew what he was referring too, causing small frowns to blossom on their faces. Roshi could hear the almost bitter undertone in the young man's voice and he wondered what exactly had taken place.
"I learned the fighting style they taught back in the Academy." Sakura said.
"I did too, but the instructors really sucked at teaching me." Naruto said with a frown. "Not like they wanted me to be there anyway." He muttered the last part under his breath. Roshi raised an eyebrow at this, the way the blond answered that question it seemed the instructors may have singled out Naruto for some reason. Why would they have done that?
It seemed there was more to Team Seven then meets the eye.
"Alright then I guess I won't have to teach you all the fundamentals then. That's good, so we won't be wasting any time then. So for the first thing we'll do is I want you all to show me what you're really capable of." Roshi said.
Goku grinned, this was getting exciting. Sasuke merely nodded, eager to show the fruits of his training in front of the Kame-Sennin. Krillin and Sakura remained mute, both wanting to impress Roshi as well with their available skills.
"You got it Pervy Sage, I'll show you why I'm going to be the Hokage someday!" Naruto said, giving the man a thumbs up.
"The kid has heart, I'll give him that. He wants to be the Hokage of Konoha huh? Admirable goal."
"Alright do you see that tree over there?" Everyone turned their heads to see the tree Roshi was pointing at. He then pointed at the boulder next to them. "From this boulder, you will run exactly one hundred meters to that tree. How fast will you be able to reach it? Now for you Shinobi, it will be just natural speed. No using Chakra to enhance it. Understand?"
"Hai!"
"Good, now lets get this thing started." Roshi made his way over to the tree and pulled out a stop watch. "Now who wants to go first?!" Roshi called out.
"I will!" Krillin replied with a rather cocky grin. He then turned towards Goku and the others. "I'm going to show you all speed that could make it into the Olympics."
Sasuke scoffed, almost insulted that this monk thought he'd beat him in this event. Goku didn't react, just looking on in wonder just like any other child would. Naruto on the other hand was going to show them that he was the fastest.
Krillin took his place next to the boulder, bent over in a runner's position. The muscles in his legs coiled and ready to take off at any second.
"Go!" Master Roshi called out. Krillin took off in a sprint, a small cloud of dirt and rubble flying behind him. Krillin could see the tree getting closer and closer, his face set in grim determination. Roshi clicked the button on the timer as Krillin passed by him. He glanced down at the time on the watch. "10.4 seconds, I must admit that's impressive."
"Thanks." Krillin breathed, trying to refill his lungs with oxygen. "10.4 huh, well my best is 10.1 but under these conditions, I guess I won't complain." He bragged.
"I see." Roshi turned back to see Sasuke had taken position this time. His onyx eyes were fierce, ready to take off at any given notice. "Are you ready Sasuke?"
"Hn."
"Alright then. "Roshi muttered. "Go!"
Sasuke took off, pushing the muscles in his legs to the limit. Determined to beat the monks time. 10.4 seconds was impressive, but not something he was worried about. It didn't take long for Sasuke to pass Roshi and he heard the distinct click of the watch. Roshi glanced down and his eyes widened a bit.
"Wow you certainly did beat Krillin's time. 9.5 seconds for you Sasuke."
Sasuke smirked, he was panting a bit himself. And out of the corner of his eye, he could see Krillin scowling at him. Sakura went next and ended up getting 11 seconds, considering she was the weakest of the group. Roshi wasn't all that surprised by the outcome, but he planned to get her stronger. After Sakura, it was everyone's favorite blonde Shinobi, Naruto took off, roaring in determination. Though he didn't beat Sasuke in the dash, he got an impressive time of 10.3 seconds.
"Can I go yet old timer?!" Goku called out.
"Sure thing Goku!"
After Roshi told Goku to Go, the young Martial Artist took off. But while he was running, Goku noticed something was off. The others watching though took note that Goku was pretty fast himself.
"Eleven seconds, I thought he'd be faster than that." Roshi said. "Pretty fast, not enough to keep up with Sasuke, Krillin or Naruto though."
"Something isn't right here." Naruto thought, observing Goku as he kept glancing down at his shoes. Even the regularly dense Shinobi believed that Goku should have been quicker than his time. He didn't know why but it was a gut feeling.
"Hey old timer, can I change my shoes and try running again?"
"What?" Krillin said. "You're actually going to blame your shoes on not beating our time. My shoes are not exactly made for running you know."
"My shoes are all busted up." To prove his point, Goku began moving his toes and everyone could see that his shoes were in terrible conditions. Roshi gave Goku a fresh pair of shoes and he retook his position next to the boulder.
"Get ready!"
Goku tensed.
"Go!"
A large cloud of dirt and rubble erupted from behind Goku as he took off. His form becoming a slight blur as he raced ahead. A strong wind brushed against both Krillin and Roshi as he passed by both them. The wind even knocked against Team Seven, who stood a bit shocked at the speed Goku showed. Roshi had clicked the button as soon as he passed him.
Roshi glanced down and his eyes almost widened in surprise. "8.5 seconds." The old hermit was shocked at the speed Goku had just shown. But at the same time considering he had been trained by Gohan, it shouldn't have been all that surprising.
"Amazing!" Naruto exclaimed. "Goku that was awesome!"
Sasuke merely shrugged, it looks like he had to improve when it came to his speed. Krillin on the other hand couldn't believe his eyes, he wasn't just beaten by Sasuke but Goku as well.
"Great job Goku-san." Sakura said with a smile.
"Every single one of you have impressed me with your speed today, these are great times. But their still on a human level. For you all to become great Martial Artists or Shinobi, you have to go beyond human level." Roshi said while removing the giant shell on his back.
"You're going to be running Roshi-sama?" Krillin asked.
"Yes I am. I haven't been getting enough exercise of late and I want to see how I'm still holding up." Roshi said while stretching the muscles in his body, warming them up. Everyone excluding Roshi, ran over to the boulder and waited in anticipation. Roshi picked up his shell and tossed it over to them. If it weren't for the fact that Roshi was about to run, everyone would have noticed his shell collide with the boulder behind them and destroy it.
"Alright when ever you all are ready."
"Get ready!" Krillin held the watch up high. "Go!"
Everyone felt a blur pass them, their eyes couldn't track Roshi's movements. Their eyes widened in complete astonishment, one moment Roshi was one hundred meters away and now here he was, having passed by them without any of them being able to see him.
"What incredible speed." Sasuke thought, his eyes couldn't follow Roshi's movements. He wondered if even their Sensei could move that fast.
"I didn't see him move." Naruto thought as well. He was thankful that Roshi wasn't an enemy Shinobi. If he had been then Naruto knew without a doubt they'd all be in big trouble.
"What's my time?" Roshi asked.
"Five…five point six seconds." Krillin stuttered out, having never seen anyone possessing such speed before.
"Five point six huh? Sounds about right" Roshi said while retrieving his shell.
"You're amazing Master Roshi!" Goku said.
"Thank you Goku, but now you all know what I mean when I say to go beyond human level. Even when it comes to Shinobi, not a lot of them are that fast. Though there have been some even faster than I." Roshi said, finally putting the shell back on his back.
"Like who?" Sakura asked.
"Well the current Raikage of Kumogakure for instance. Some say he's one of the fastest men alive today. The only one to ever beat him in speed was the Yondaime Hokage." Roshi said.
Roshi took notice that the sun was beginning to set and a beautiful orange glow spread over the area. The heat from the day began to settle and it started to cool off. Naruto had long ago abandoned his orange jacket, thankfully he had his white t-shirt underneath.
"Alright we will put off the more serious training for tomorrow. In a little bit, we're going to get a nice supper going. But for now we should finish up with a last bit of minor training for the day. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, did your Sensei give you anything to further your Shinobi training?"
"Yes Roshi-sensei, he gave us a scroll." Sakura said, pulling out the scroll their sensei gave them.
"Good, since the three of you are a team you won't be competing in this next test that Goku and Krillin will be taking. Instead you'll be working on the training Kakashi gave you. Once the sun finally sets, that will signal the end of the training day." Roshi said and everyone nodded. While Goku and Krillin left with Roshi, Team Seven decided it was time to check out exactly what training Kakashi-sense had in mind for them. Sakura unrolled the scroll and his eyes began to scan the contents.
"Tree walking and Water walking huh." Sakura said.
"I've heard of those two techniques, they're Chakra Control exercises. But their pretty useful techniques as well as they will let us run up the sides of tree's or any solid surface. While Water walking is just as it sounds." Sasuke explained. While he had heard of the techniques before, he wasn't all that sure how to perform them.
"I was hoping for some cool Jutsu." Naruto pouted. "But I guess it's better than nothing and running up walls and on top of water sounds pretty cool. How do we do it?"
"It says we're supposed to channel Chakra into our feet and use it to stick to the side of the tree as we attempt to walk up it. Too little Chakra applied will cause you to slip and too much will apparently blow the bark off the tree." Sakura answered, scanning the scroll. The technique didn't seem all that complicated. It was supposed to help them with their Chakra control.
"Alright lets get started!" Naruto boasted with a grin, eagerly ready to finish off their training for the day! "Just so you know teme, I'm going to get this mastered way before you."
"As if dobe" Sasuke snorted, he didn't believe his blonde teammate would get this technique down before him. A competitive spark flashed between the two Genin, eyes narrowed intently at the other. As if given a silent signal, both Naruto and Sasuke raced off towards the nearest tree. Determined to prove the other could master the technique first.
Meanwhile Sakura shook her head, though a small smile was resting on her face at seeing how the two acted.
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(Early the next morning.)
Night was beginning to slowly dissolve into day as Master Roshi found himself waking up. Back in his youth, this was around the same time his old master would have him wake up to start training. And he'd be damned if he didn't put his students through the same process. It would make them stronger and he knew Team Seven was going to need it if they were going to face Zabuza.
Roshi glanced at the clock. "Four thirty huh, well lets get this show on the road." Roshi got dressed in his usual attire before nudging Krillin awake. The monk repressed a groan at seeing the time he was being woken up at but none the less, started to get ready himself. "Krillin you wake up Sasuke and I'll go wake up Sakura, Naruto and Goku."
Roshi began to make his way up the stairs and knocked on the door of Sakura's room. Now usually Roshi would have done something perverted when it came to a sleeping woman and maybe tried to get a sneak peek on them. But Sakura was twelve years old for Kami's sake, yes he was a proud pervert but he was no pedophile. Plus he could just sate his perverted desires with his new Icha Icha book. Whoever this Jiraiya guy was, he was amazing at writing adult novels.
The door opened and it revealed Sakura wearing pink pajama's. "Roshi-sensei, what are you doing knocking on my door at this time?"
"Time for training Sakura-san, wake up Naruto and get dressed. Then you all will meet me out front. Now go on, hurry!"
Sakura grumbled at being woken up so early and then being told to do something. But she sucked it up and went back into her room to get changed.
It took about half an hour before everyone was assembled in front of Roshi's house.
"Alright today begins your true training." Roshi said.
"Oh boy oh boy!" Goku said with childlike glee.
"Hn" Though Sasuke didn't show it, he was a bit excited himself.
"Lets get it done old man." Naruto said, concealing a yawn that almost escaped his lips. Though he was ready for this training, he was still a bit tired as well.
"Right" Sakura's emerald eyes blazed with determination. The female Shinobi refused to be left behind her teammates.
"Before we begin, let me share some wise words about the Martial Arts." Roshi said before adjusting the glasses on his face. "Mastering the Turtle School Martial Arts isn't about winning fights or even to woo the pretty women that may see you perform. By learning and mastering these Martial Arts, you all will grow stronger and healthier, both in body and the mind. Martial Arts will help you develop bonds with others through combat."
Everyone excluding one was memorized by the wise words coming from the usually perverted Sennin.
"I don't get it." Goku said, confused by his teachers words.
Team Seven along with Krillin face vaulted the ground. Their legs sticking comically up in the air while a sweat drop dripped down Roshi's brow. The kid was as dense as could be. After everyone else recovered, Roshi decided to elaborate on what he meant.
"What I mean Goku is train as hard as you can and enjoy living a full life." Roshi explained simply.
"Oh" Goku said, realization dawning in his eyes. "That makes complete sense."
"Even I'm not that dense." Naruto thought.
"You're a bit of a moron aren't you?" Krillin asked Goku.
"Anyways, are you all ready to get this training started?" Roshi asked the group.
"Hai!"
"Well first off is some light running, so keep up if you can!" With that Roshi began to jog off. It didn't take long for his new students to follow after him.
They all ran along the shore line, the sun rise illuminating their forms as they ran by the ocean. The light jog was going great so far and none of them seemed winded in the slightest. They had been jogging for about twenty minutes before they reached a small town. Master Roshi ended up having them stop in front of some milk store. The owner of the milk store and Roshi began to talk quietly while the others were wondering what was going on.
"Alright each of you come grab a box of milk. We've got deliveries to make!"
"We're delivering milk?" Naruto asked, confused as to what the hell was going on. Sasuke's eye twitched slightly and Sakura was just as confused as Naruto.
Goku was hoping Roshi would let them have some milk to drink.
They all grabbed a crate of milk and waited for the next set of instructions.
"Roshi-sama, is delivering milk a part of the training?" Krillin asked.
"Indeed it is and we must get it all delivered before breakfast so I better not see any slouching." Roshi turned and began to actually skip his way down the road. "Oh yeah we will be skipping for the first two kilo's!"
"What?!" They all chorused confused. Despite the oddness of the training so far, they all complied with their sensei's demands none the less. So they all skipped the two miles down to the first houses and delivered the milk before Roshi had them zig zag along the trees before running down another few miles to continue delivering the milk.
Needless to say that by the time they were done with the last delivery, they were all tired, though it was Sakura and Krillin that were feeling it the worst. The last house ended up being at the top of a high mountain. While they were taking their rest, the resident of the house came out.
"Roshi-sama, it has been awhile has it not?" The man asked Roshi.
"Abbot, it's good to see you and yes it has."
The now named Abbot smiled at the Turtle Hermit. "Ahh I see you've got some new students and by the look of those three I can see their Shinobi. I would have never believed you would have taken on Shinobi as students."
"I wouldn't have believed it either, but they are some good kids. They all show promise." Roshi said to Abbot.
Team Seven along with Goku and Krillin perked up at Roshi's words.
"Of course we show promise, if I'm going to be the next Hokage then I can't just give up." Naruto said. Roshi conked him on the head with his cane.
"While your goal is admirable Naruto, watch your manners and don't try to sound do arrogant." Roshi said.
"How much promise do they show Roshi-sama?" Abbot asked.
"I believe if they continue to train hard I have no doubt they could all enter the tournament coming up within eight months. If Goku and Krillin keep doing this well, then I'll enter them. I can't say the same for Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke, their time with me is limited."
"You're going to enter us in the World Tournament?!" Krillin asked, his voice laced with shock and awe.
"What's this tournament you're all talking about?" Sasuke wondered. Goku too piped up and asked about the tournament.
"You all don't know what the World Tournament is?!" Krillin said, shocked that they didn't know what this oh so special event was. He decided he might as well educate the clueless. "It's an event held every five years and the best fighters from all over come to compete in the tournament. Fighters from all different backgrounds compete to see who is the best fighter in the world."
While this tournament peaked Sasuke's interest, competing in it at the moment wasn't his goal. His only goal in life was to avenge his clan and defeat his older brother. Maybe after beating Itachi one day, he would compete.
Naruto on the other hand had stars in his eyes, the thought of competing in the World Tournament excited him greatly. He could show the whole world that he had what it takes to be Hokage of Konoha.
Sakura was a bit intimidated at the thought of a tournament like that.
"You're objective, while competing to be the best fighter at the tournament, isn't to win." Roshi said, breaking them out of their respective fantasy. "Real life doesn't work like that. The only purpose of entering you in the tournament is to continue to develop you as fighters. I know I will be entering Goku and Krillin, you all would have to ask your Hokage about that."
"Hai!" Team Seven said.
"Now Abbot we must be off, we have more training to get done today." With those final words, they all took off again.
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(On the island of Metro West.)
A Martial Artist howled as he was sent flying out the door of the dojo. The man who had sent the unknown fighter soaring was none other than Yamcha the Bandit. He too was training for the upcoming tournament and he had a total of eight months to prepare.
"Go Yamcha!" Bulma shouted.
Yamcha smirked, ducking under a strike from one of his opponents and countering with a kick. The kick sent his opponent sprawling onto the floor. Yamcha ended up leaping away as a much larger fist tried to attack him from the side.
"You talk a big game punk. You don't seem all that tough." His much larger and muscular opponent said. Yamcha smirked, sure the man was bigger than him but that didn't mean much to him.
"Come get a taste of my Wolf Fang Fist!."
Yamcha dashed forward and his larger foe could have sworn he saw Yamcha shifting from a human form to a wolf. Yamcha leaped up in the air, hands cupped and he blasted the bigger man across the cheek.
The blow was enough to send him sprawling onto the floor, eyes swirling and tongue hanging out.
"The fighters entering the tournament will be a lot stronger than this. I hope Goku enters, just so he can see how far along I've come since our last battle."
Bulma blushed as she watched Yamcha. "He sure has gotten stronger."
With that, Yamcha resettled in his stance, ready to continue his training.
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(With Kakashi, back in the Land of Waves.)
Kakashi could be found in the woods outside of Tazuna's house, his lone eye closed. Like a silent alarm going off, Kakashi's eyes opened and he leaped out of the way as a volley of kunai was sent his way. Kakashi back flipped and ended up sticking to a tree. He threw up his defense quickly and blocked a strike from his foe.
His foe ended up being an exact replica of himself. Kakashi pushed his clone's fist to the side and lashed out with a kick. The clone grunted as it was pushed down the tree, it regained its footing and clashed with its creator.
Kakashi and his clone engaged in a ferocious Taijutsu battle on the side of the tree they were currently stuck on. Reality had seemingly slapped Kakashi in the face because of his last battle with Zabuza, he had gotten soft in these times of peace. Since his village wasn't at war, Kakashi really hadn't trained all that much. Due to his arrogance that he'd always be ready and able to face any threat, it almost cost his team, client and his own life that day. If it wasn't for that distraction from Goku, he couldn't fathom what may have happened. So here the Copy Ninja was, throwing himself back into his training when he got the free time.
The original Kakashi managed to break past his clone's defense, hitting his clone with a harsh right and an uppercut that launched his creation off the tree. The clone hit the ground and grunted hard, it's visible eye opened for a second to see his creator descending upon him, hand shrouded in Lightning Chakra.
"It was fun being alive while it lasted." The clone thought before it was impaled by Kakashi's Chidori. The clone gasped before going up in smoke. Kakashi's Lightning enshrouded hand was cut clean through the ground. Only a few moments after did Kakashi let the Lightning Chakra disperse and he let out a pant. He hadn't trained like this in a long time, while he felt tired he couldn't deny this felt great too. To finally get his blood pumping and getting stronger through hard work, it was invigorating. Kakashi glanced up at the sky, noticing the sun had reached a high peek in the sky. He guessed it was about Afternoon now and Tazuna was probably taking a break from building the bridge. And since his other Kage Bunshin hadn't dispersed, it meant there was no sign of the enemy.
Kakashi decided he would rest up before he went back to Tazuna's. The Copy Ninja began walking through the woods, just enjoying the serenity it brought him. To think, in a world as crazy as theirs, you could find some sort of relative peace in the little things that others overlooked. As he trudged deeper in the woods, he noticed their seemed to be a young woman looking around for something. The woman seemed to have noticed his arrival. She stared at him for a moment before a smile crossed her lips.
"Hello." She said.
"Greetings mam." Kakashi said politely. Though he acted friendly on the outside, his guard was up. Just because the woman before him was young and seemingly innocent, didn't mean she wasn't dangerous.
"What are you doing all the way out here if you don't mind me asking?"
"I was just getting some training done. I figured since I had some free time, why not do something to improve myself. Sure beats sitting around. What about you?"
"I was just collecting some herbs to make a remedy for my friend. He was injured in an accident." She said. "Oh where are my manners, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Haku by the way."
"Haku huh, well it's nice to meet you. My name is Hatake Kakashi."
"Oh I've heard of you." Realization dawned in Haku's eyes. "You're the famous Copy Ninja are you not?"
"That I am." Kakashi said with an eye smile. "Though I am curious onto how you'd know about me being the Copy Ninja. I'd guess the only way you, a civilian, had access to that kind of information is from reading a Bingo Book. But Civilians aren't allowed to have that kind of reading material."
Haku cursed internally, she hadn't meant to slip up like that. "My friend is a Shinobi and he happened to have a Bingo Book on him." With that, Haku gathered her things and turned around. "It was nice meeting you Kakashi-san." Haku began to walk off.
"Why in such a hurry Hunter nin-san?"
Haku's eyes widened, three senbon fell from the sleeve in her robe and she turned around and threw them at Kakashi. Kakashi quickly countered by whipping out a kunai and deflected each senbon.
"How were you able to tell?" Haku asked, her features set in a scowl.
"You're body structure, hair color and the tone of your voice match the Hunter Nin that took Zabuza away. I know that regularly Hunter Nin dispose of the body of their intended target on the spot. Yet you did not, so that leads me to assume you're his accomplice."
"Impressive, so what do you plan to do now?" Haku asked.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Usually I would go ahead and try to capture you to extract information about Zabuza. But I have little information on you and walking into a battle with not knowing what I was getting myself into is foolish. So I'll let you go free."
"I see." Haku backed away slowly, her eyes never leaving Kakashi for a second. If her eyes even left him for the slightest of moments, it could spell the end for her.
"I do have this message for Zabuza, he'd better stay away from Tazuna and his family once he recovers. Otherwise I promise the next time we fight, it will be his last battle." Kakashi warned. He watched as Haku nodded before disappearing into the woods. Kakashi kept his senses hot, making sure that she wasn't going to try and sneak attack him. Once he felt her Chakra leave the area, he relaxed.
"I'd better get back to Tazuna." With that, Kakashi leaped into the trees and began making his way back to Tazuna's.
"I hope you're training hard guys, I feel like this upcoming battle will be even tougher than the last."
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That's where this chapter will come to an end. It wasn't all that exciting considering it was Team Seven, Goku and Krillin all beginning their training. But I hope you could find some enjoyment out of it. Anyway I will see you all next time.
Till then, later!
MasterOfTheUnknown.