Legacy Of Heroes: Origins

by Cmartin-Panda Productions

This story tells the tale from the moment Gohan and Videl first arrived into the Shinobi world. Follow along with them as they travel with Naruto and Jiraiya to fight the Akatsuki, bandits and pirates that will lead up to the main story. WARNING: It is recommended that you read the main story-Legacy of Heroes-first before reading this. Rated M for swearing and suggestive themes.

2. Chapter 2

The doors to the inn swung open and the 4-man group was greeted to the sight of one of the shadiest looking bars Gohan and Videl had ever seen.

It was exactly how you would picture it. Dimly lit room, wooden beams and tables, with smoke covering the ceiling like a thick fog. The smell in the air almost burnt their eyes, it was so pungent.

The customers all wore dirty hoods and rustic clothes. Nursing their beers, smoking cigars, and laughing loudly with friends.

Jirayia smiled. "Looks like we're sleeping luxury for a change." Gohan and Videl weren't sure if he was joking or not.

"Are you serious... Please tell me you're not." Videl sweat dropped.

"Compared to the last few weeks. This is luxurious." Naruto replied.

"I'll... take your word for it then..." Videl said hesitantly.

"It's not that bad, Videl." Gohan shrugged.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY MOTHER!?" One of the bar patrons yelled as he threw a glass mug at another customer from the other side of the bar.

"She sucked my dick last night like a champ!" The other guy slurred to egg the first guy on.

"You were saying..." Videl said.

"Never mind..." Gohan groaned.

"I'll go get us a couple of rooms. Wait here and try not to get into any trouble." Jiraiya said as he went to go speak with the Inn keeper.

"I don't trust these guys..." Videl said quietly.

Gohan and Videl instinctively huddled together while Naruto kept up what looked like a more relaxed pose, but was actually ready for anything.

"Just mind your business and they'll mind there's." Naruto said while one of the drunk masses stumbled out of the crowd and ran into Videl.

"Hey!" Videl protested.

That unfortunately got the attention of everyone in the bar.

"Sorry, sorry..." The man apologized profusely before looking up and getting an eyeful of Videl. His tone then immediately changed.

"Hey baby, do those legs go all the way up?" He leered.

"You'll never find out. Now leave me alone before you get hurt." Videl warned.

"Oh come on baby. Don't be like that..." He said before falling flat on his face, completely unconscious. The whole bar looked over at the scene before collectively bursting out into a fit of laughter.

Videl shuddered. "Fucking drunks..."

Naruto chuckled. "You'll get used to it."

"Maybe for you. In case you haven't already noticed, I'm a woman in a bar full of drunk men." Videl pointed out.

"Why is that a problem?" Naruto asked.

"Oh my god..." Videl face palmed.

"Hey, there's a woman right over there." Naruto pointed at an extremely fat bar waitress slapping the shit out of frisky customer.

"Are you trying to say I'm fat?!" Videl exclaimed as she clamped her hand down on Naruto's ear.

"Ahh! My ear! My ear!" Naruto cried out in pain.

"Well?!" Videl pressed as she began to twist his ear.

"OWOWOWOWWW! NOO!" Naruto cried.

"That's what I thought..." Videl smirked as she let go.

"Damn... You remind me of Sakura-chan..." Naruto grumbled.

"Who?" Videl asked.

"No one..." Naruto grumbled as he massaged his ear.

"Well, guys... Sad to say, the Inn doesn't have any rooms available." Jiraiya informed.

"What? But you said-

"Sorry, sorry. What I meant to say was, that the inn doesn't have any 'extra' rooms available." Jirayia said as he jingled the two keys in front of them. "So we're going to have to double up." Gohan looked concerned as his eyes darted back and forth from Videl to Naruto.

"So for your safety Videl, I think you should bunk with me." Jirayia stated.

"Oh I don't think so." Videl said sternly.

"Oh come on. I was kidding earlier. Please, your too young for me." Jirayia playfully scoffed. 'And under aged.'

"How about instead, I get a room to myself and you three boys can have a nice big sleepover?" Videl said sweetly as she plucked one of the room keys out of Jirayia's hand.

"Are you sure that's safe?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto, Videl is very tough. She's handled worse than what's here." Gohan assured.

"It's true, I have." Videl confirmed.

"If you say so." Naruto said.

"And we'll be right next door should anything happen." Jirayia reassured.

"If anything does, I can take care of myself." Videl said with conviction.

"Are you sure?" Gohan asked.

"Yes, I am. I'm not sharing a bed with you, no offence." Videl said.

"I... I understand." Gohan nodded.

"Alright, now that that's settled, what say we drop off our stuff and head back down for a nice meal before bed." Jirayia said, in his new role as den mother.

"Well, Gohan and I don't have anything on us anyway, so..." Videl said.

"Oh that's right, we forgot to tell you." Jirayia said as he reached into his pack and pulled out a familiar looking sack.

"What's that?" Videl asked.

"I don't know. It fell out of the portal with you two. I assumed it was important to you two."

"Let me see." Gohan said as Jiraiya handed over the sack. In it were several containers with the Capsule Corp logo. "Well I'll be damned..."

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"It's the containers that Bulma had just intended to send through." Gohan said happily as he opened one of them.

"They're not explosives, are they?" Naruto asked nervously.

"Oh, no their not. They're all kinds of things. Food, entertainment electronics and medical supplies." Gohan listed off.

"So more of those capsule caps?" Naruto asked.

"Yup." Gohan said as he took a couple Capsules out of the first container.

"Not here." Jirayia said quickly as he placed a hand over the capsule in Gohan's hand.

"I wasn't going to take anything out of the capsules." Gohan deadpanned.

"Even then. We don't need the attention." Jirayia said. Just to prove his point, another man walked up to them, saw the capsules and whispered. "You holding?"

"Holding what?" Gohan asked.

"He's asking for drugs, and no, we don't have any." Videl said seriously.

"Then what are those?" The man asked, pointing to the capsules.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Now get..." Videl said firmly.

But the man stood his ground and grew cocky. "Maybe I don't want to leave." He smirked. "Maybe I wanna tell some friends of mine that you've got some valuables and don't wanna share?"

The man reach for the capsules, but Videl grabbed his wrist hard, enough to make a cracking noise.

"If you wanna keep the use of that hand, I suggest you back off."

That's when two tables worth of guys stood up at once, each of them burlier than the last.

Gohan and Videl were sizing them up for a fight when Naruto walked past them.

"Alright guys, you got us, yes we're holding." Naruto admitted.

"Naruto, what the hell? They're nothing but a bunch of pansies!" Videl exclaimed.

"Videl, put the guys hand down." Naruto pulled the man's arm free of Videl. Gohan was about to protest until Jirayia put his hand on the boy's shoulder. With a look on his face that said, "Trust Naruto."

Naruto, meanwhile, was putting on a show for the angry men.

"I'm sorry guys. Women. Am I right?" Naruto laughed, earning a chuckle from a few of the guys.

"That bitch broke my wrist!" The one guy shouted.

"Yeah, she does that. We gotta keep her around for something more than her looks, right? Cause god knows she can't cook for shit." Naruto fibbed, earning more chuckles from the thugs who were starting to relax.

"Keep your bitch under control." The man said, still nursing his broken wrist.

"Alright chuckles, alright." Naruto said defensively. "But I think you were asking about the stuff we brought, is that right?"

"Yes..."

"Well you caught us. We got some stuff, right here." Naruto reached into his back pocket with both hands. Gohan and Videl watched as Naruto took a handful of tiny white pills and quickly made several rapid fire hand gestures like he was trying to rap in sign language. But before either of them could blink, the pills turned into Capsule Corp capsules. Naruto then showed the fake devices to the guy who Videl had broken his wrist.

"Latest concoction from the boys down south. Supposed to knock you on your ass sideways with a single hit. We were gonna test if out at the Mist village capital, but I could possibly give you boys a sample for say, 100 Ryo a pop." Naruto spoke like an experienced used car salesman.

"100 ryo? What kind of cheap ass crap you tryin' to pawn off us?" The man with the broken wrist asked.

"Call it the friends and family discount. Since we're such good friends." Naruto smiled.

"Fine." The man pulled out his walled and handed Naruto 300 Ryo. "Now give me the stuff."

"Sure thing." Naruto said politely as he handed the man his share. The man took one of the pills, popped them in his mouth, and felt a massive rush coarse through his system.

"WHOOH! Damn that's good stuff!" The man exclaimed. The rest of his buddies in his gang all lined up by Naruto to get their fair share. Soon they were all sitting pretty.

"What was that?" Gohan asked.

"Tell you in a bit." Naruto whispered as he motioned Gohan and Videl up to their rooms with Jirayia tailing the pack. Leaving the wannabe gangsters to party and faint down stairs.

Once they reached the boy's room, Jirayia shut the door behind them. The room was a tiny thing. 7x7 with a single window, a twin bed, and a night desk.

"Nice work with the Aphrodon, brat." Jirayia praised.

"Aphrodon?" Gohan asked.

Naruto pulled out one of the tiny little tablets from earlier. "Yup, a spy master's best friend. Especially when he's dealing with drug dealers." Naruto explained. "Tiny, discreet, can hold a transformation jutsu to look like any drug or food you want. Plus, it gives the user just enough of a high to make them think they took the genuine article. In about an hour all those guys will pass out from what a doctor will call alcohol abuse and wake up with absolutely no memory of tonight."

"Wow. Some stuff." Gohan said with enthusiasm.

"I know, ri-OOOFF!" Naruto doubled over from Videl punching him in the gut.

"Talk about me like that again and I'll make it hurt worse than that." Videl growled.

"Hey, I needed to sell it! I don't know if it's a thing in your universe, but over here we have a thing called being discreet!" Naruto ranted.

"Trust me, coming from the brat, this means a lot." Jirayia chimed in.

"Whatever..." Videl huffed. She then pulled a pill bottle out of her shirt. "Anyone got any water?"

"What's that for?" Gohan asked with concern.

"You don't need to know." Videl snapped. "It's something I take every day."

"Well I've got a canteen if Gohan can't whip out that magic fridge of his." Jirayia offered.

"You shouldn't be taking drugs, Videl. It's bad for you." Gohan said seriously.

"Well, I need this one." Videl said sternly.

"You can't rely on drugs to make things easier, Videl! Get rid of them."

"Holy fuck! It's my birth control medication you jerk!" Videl shouted with a deep blush on her face.

Now a blush was left on Gohan's face. "O-oh... I'm sorry..." Gohan took out his fridge for Videl to get a drink.

"Jeez... Like you need to know about my bodies functions..." Videl deadpanned as she took out a bottle of water to take her medication.

Jiraiya was busy jotting down in his notebook. 'Gotta love the relationship drama. Readers love a touch of realism.'

"I'm... Really sorry, Videl..." Gohan said sheepishly.

"Yea, yea. I know." Videl waved off as she swallowed her medication. "Next time, don't jump to conclusions."

"Right... I'll try to remember that..." Gohan said sheepishly.

"Yeah, you do that." Videl said. She swallowed her pill and sighed. "I'm going to bed. See you guys in the morning."

"Okay. Sleep well." Gohan said.

"You too." Videl said as she left the room and headed to hers. She found that it was the same as the other, only with a larger bed. 'Now I feel bad...' Videl thought. 'They only have a single twin bed and I have the larger one...'

Videl sat on her bed, now taking in its complete size. Her mind wandered a bit as she thought things over. 'Maybe one night wouldn't be so bad...' Videl thought.

Meanwhile in the boy's room, talks had broken down about who would get the bed.

"Ok, so it's agreed. Whoever wins the arm wrestling match gets the bed." Jirayia declared as he put his elbows on the night stand which they had moved to the center of the room.

"Sounds okay to me." Naruto said.

"Um, okay." Gohan said sheepishly.

"Ladies first." Jirayia joked as he looked at Gohan.

"Ass." Gohan grumbled as he took Jiraiya's hand and locked it with his own. Naruto meanwhile took Jiraiya's other hand and prepared to arm wrestle.

"You both know the rules. No jutsus, no chakra, and no ki." Jiraiya said as he held both the boy's hands together. "Ready?"

"Ready." They both responded.

"Begin." Jiraiya declared.

In an instant, the arm that Gohan had ahold of was slammed down on the table, while Naruto struggled with the one he had.

"Looks like I win." Gohan declared.

"Damn. That's some arm you've got on you." Jirayia groaned as he massaged his bruised arm.

"Comes from years of training with increased gravity and really heavy weights." Gohan said.

"You didn't use Ki, did you?" Naruto grunted.

"No. There was no need to." Gohan responded.

They all then heard a knocking on their door and Gohan went to answer it.

When Gohan opened the door, he was surprised to see Videl standing there.

"Videl? Is everything okay?" Gohan asked.

"Yes... Can I talk to you for a minute? privately?" Videl asked sheepishly.

"Sure." Gohan said. "I'll be right back, guys." Gohan said before walking out into the hallway to talk to Videl. "What's up?"

"Listen... Don't take this the wrong way... But... Do you... Want to... s-share my room?" Videl stammered with a blush.

"Oh I don't need to anymore. I won the right to the bed." Gohan naively said.

"Well, I thought that... being in mine... would be a better idea. My room has a queen size bed and it's too big for just me..." Videl said softly.

"A queen? Nah, it'll be alright. Like you said, you need your privacy." Gohan dismissed politely.

"Yea..." Videl said sadly. 'I wish you weren't so naïve...' Videl thought.

Gohan picked up on her sadness and got concerned. "Is anything wrong?"

"I'm just... A little lonely... I guess..." Videl said, breaking Gohan's heart.

"Don't worry, Videl. Once we've gotten back to their village, we'll find a way back home to all our friends and family in no time. I promise you that." Gohan said firmly.

"I hope so... But, that's not what I mean..."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Dammit. I want you to stay with me!" Videl exclaimed. "J-just for tonight..."

"Oh, is that all you wanted? Then sure. Of course." Gohan smiled.

"W-wait... Before we do... We gotta set some ground rules." Videl said nervously. "Come with me." Gohan followed Videl into her room and closed the door.

"I don't see why we have to. It's just like when I slept in the same bed as my little brother whenever he had a nightmare." Gohan said.

"It's a little different than that... We're sharing the same bed."

"So?"

"So there's certain areas that... I don't want you... (gulp)... touching..." Videl blushed.

"Why would I be touching you? It's a queen sized bed right? Don't we both just stay on each other's side?" Gohan asked, still confused.

"I just... felt the need to put that out there is all..." videl said as she opened her side of the bed.

'Man... for someone as smart as he is, he is really dumb when it comes to this sort of thing.' Videl thought.

"Well okay." Gohan quickly left the room and told the other two that he would be staying in Videl's room tonight. After some obvious jeering from Jirayia, Gohan returned to the room and turned off the lights.

"Good night Videl." Gohan said politely.

"Night, Gohan..." Videl said sleepily. It wasn't long before the fears she had left her and sleep took her, while Gohan remained awake.

His mind wandered for hours about how they got there and all of the possibilities there could be to return home. But, any scenario he could think of, it just wouldn't be good enough to make sense or even happen in a realistic time span. No matter how he looked at it, they were stuck there, seemingly forever.

'There's no way around it. Even if I could come up with something, it would take decades to complete.' Gohan thought sadly.

He turned his head and looked at the sleeping Videl. Her hair was already a mess and she was lightly snoring.

'I have to do something... For her. I promised her I'd find a way home and one way or another, I'm going to do just that.' Gohan thought seriously.

Then, something he didn't expect happened. Videl moaned as she rolled over in her sleep, almost like she was having a nightmare, and she rolled over to where she was laying on his chest.

Gohan froze, not sure of what to do. But in that instance, whatever sleep distress Videl was in was gone almost immediately as her breathing slowed and a very soft smile adorned her face.

'Oh boy... uh...' Gohan thought nervously. He wasn't sure what to do, but seeing her almost immediately comforted, he decided to leave her be and put an arm around the small of her back. 'Well, this was unexpected. I just hope she doesn't get mad at me in the morning.'

Eventually, he drifted off to sleep as well.

---

Morning eventually came and Videl was the first to stir awake. She was warm, comfortable, happy and...

'What's that sound?' She thought. The thumping of a heartbeat could be heard in her ear. She opened one eye and saw that during the night, she ended up on top of Gohan.

'Oh... my... god...' Videl thought as a deep blush adorned her face. She slowly looked and saw that his arm was around her, protectively. But her blush deepened when she had shift ever so slightly and his hand was now laying on her butt.

'His hand is on my ass... Woah girl... calm down. He didn't do it on purpose. And... this fells... nice...' Videl thought. She decided to milk this for all it was worth and snuggle back into Gohan's chest.

That's when she felt the same hand grip her ass even tighter, causing her to almost cry out in an eep. With Gohan caressing her bottom with his big, strong fingers.

"Marshmallows..." He muttered in his sleep.

Videl's face was beet root red as her eyes shot wide open. 'Oh no...' She thought.

'Do I wake him? I really don't wanna do that, but... this is wrong.'

That's when Gohan moaned a relaxed breath and loosened his hands, releasing Videl's tushie.

'Okay... Oh boy, that was awkward...' She thought. In reality, she kinda didn't mind it, but in the same token, they weren't a couple and it wasn't even evident to her that he liked her that way.

"Mmmm..." Gohan moaned in his sleep.

Gohan's hand tightened on her ass again, this time a little softer than before, but it was still embarrassing.

"Videl..." He moaned in his sleep.

Videl's heart skipped a beat. Gohan just moaned HER NAME in his sleep. While fondling her ass no less.

'Oh my god... Does he... like me?' Videl thought.

"Videl... Goten..." Gohan whispered.

'Huh?'

"Come and feel these marshmallows... they're bitchin'..."

'He thinks my ass is a mound of marshmallows.' Videl giggled softly. It was still embarrassing, but it was kinda funny.

"Noooo... Icarus...don't eat ma dragon... is Christmas..."

Videl now couldn't help but laugh, stirring Gohan awake.

"Mmm... what's so... funny?" Gohan asked as he opened an eye.

"You, silly. You were talking in your sleep." Videl giggled.

"Oh god. Was my dad eating my dragons again?" Gohan yawned.

"That's one of them." Videl smiled.

"I was also dreaming I had the softest bunch of marshmallows ever."

"They weren't marshmallows." Videl blushed.

"Huh...well I'm sorry I waked you..." Gohan said half-asleep.

"It's fine... But... You're squeezing my ass." Videl said as her blush deepened.

"Zzzzzzzzzz..." Gohan snored.

Videl just rolled her eyes and laid back down. 'Fuck it. He's too naïve to try anything.' Videl thought.

That's when Videl heard a knock on the door, and Naruto's voice coming from the other side.

"Yo, Gohan, Videl, come on down for some breakfast." Naruto called.

'God dammit.' Videl thought.

"Be there shortly." Videl called, waking Gohan up again.

"Huh? What's up?" Gohan yawned.

"We gotta get up." Videl said softly.

"Oh okay. Well, I can't with you on me." Gohan chuckled.

"Well, I can't either... You're... um...grabbing my ass..." Videl blushed.

Gohan looked at her in disbelief. Then, being his father's son, tested Videl's claim by squeezing his hands, only to find resistance.

"So I am..." He said sheepishly.

"Can you... Kindly remove your hand, please?" Videl asked.

"Oh sure." He said nonchalantly, like he didn't find the situation awkward at all.

"Thank you..." Videl blushed as she rolled over to get out of bed. "It's actually kinda funny. You thought my ass was a mound of marshmallows." Videl laughed.

"That is actually, but you seem embarrassed. Why?" Gohan asked.

Videl had to do a double take. Surely someone had taught him about that sort of thing. "You must be joking." Videl deadpanned.

"Why is that?" Gohan asked.

"Did... Anyone ever give you the... birds and the bee's talk?" Videl blushed.

"What's that?"

"Oh god..." Videl sighed. "We need to talk..."

"About what?"

"Just be quiet and listen..." Videl sighed. For the next 20 minutes, Videl had gone into detail about the difference between a man and a woman as well as a conversation Gohan should have had with his father, or father figure. Needless, to say, it was really awkward for Videl to have to explain the birds and the bees to a grown ass man.

"Y-you mean... What I did was... Wrong?" Gohan asked, now embarrassed by what he had done.

"In terms of our relationship, yes..." Videl blushed.

"Videl... I'm sooo sorry..."

"It's fine... You were asleep, so you get a free pass. But this is the only time, understand?"

"Of course, I promise." Gohan said quickly.

"Good." Videl smiled sweetly.

'Like a marshmallow.' Gohan thought, then he blushed when his mind was led to that.

"Now let's grab some breakfast." Videl suggested.

"Uh, Sounds good! Yea, let's eat!" Gohan said quickly to try and get his mind on something else.

"Marshmallows, huh?" Videl teased, making the poor man go beet red.

"...You're not going to let me live that down, are you?" Gohan asked sheepishly.

"Nope." Videl grinned.

They made their way down to the 1st floor where the enter what had to be a completely different dining room. Where there was supposed to be dusty old wooden furniture and beams in a smoke filled room, had transformed into a moderately nice dining hall. What was once cold and scary now looked warm and inviting.

"Wow... Complete night and day." Videl said.

"Amazing what some uncovered windows and fresh air can do." Jirayia commented from over at the bar countertops. He waved Gohan and Videl over to him while Naruto was helping the waitress from last night clear out a pile of drunks that had slept over.

"Need a hand?" Gohan asked.

"Nah, we're good. You guys eat!" Naruto called out to them.

The two newcomers shrugged and joined Jirayia at the bar, who was dinning on hash browns, sunny side up eggs, and what looked like crab meat.

"Hey you two, sleep well?"

Both teens blushed. "Um... Yea... We slept pretty good." Videl said sheepishly.

"Anything you'd like to share?" Jirayia leered.

Gohan was afraid to speak and he was worried that Videl would spill the beans, but luckily for him, Videl had other thoughts.

"What's there to tell? We slept in the same bed. Nothing more." Videl shrugged off.

Jirayia chuckled. "Of course. Of course." He took a sip of his coffee.

"What would you guys like to eat? They got a surprisingly large selection for a town this remote." Jirayia commented as he passed them both a menu.

"Pancakes and bacon for me." Videl said simply.

"4 of everything?" Gohan said sheepishly.

The man managing the bar looked at Gohan like he had spat on the man's floors.

"You joking, kid? Jirayia, is this kid yanking me? I've got a business to run and he's asking for meals for 4? Bad enough I gotta feed 2 extra for free, now this joker wants 4 of everything? What is this a charity?" The man spoke so quickly that Gohan was having a tough time keeping up.

"Fuu! You turn this place into a charity while I wasn't lookin'?" The man called out to the waitress helping out Naruto.

"No, Oda, I didn't!" The exhausted and annoyed woman called back.

"That's what I thought." Oda grumbled before returning his gaze back at Gohan.

"He eats a lot of food, so he's being completely serious." Videl said.

"Well la-de-da for him. Meanwhile, I gotta pay outta my own damn pocket to keep this one horse town afloat. But if he's a growing boy, well how can I refuse?" Oda sneered.

"Oda please, I'll pay for all our meals out of my own pocket. Just keep those rooms vacant and I'll honor our agreement. Deal?" Jirayia intervened.

"Chh, fine. I'll get you your one of everything." Oda growled as he looked at Gohan, then turned his attention back to Jirayia. "And you, money upfront."

Jirayia calmly reached into his pocket and pulled out a checkbook and fill out all the security information. He them slid the blank check to Oda. "Whatever you think is fair." Jirayia said. Oda smiled and retreated back into the kitchen.

"You owe me big, kid..." Jiraiya grumbled.

"Right... Well, when I can get some money, I'll pay you back." Gohan said.

"You're not worried that this Oda guy isn't going to abuse that blank check you gave him?" Videl asked.

"Oda is an old bastard, but he'd never take a cent he wasn't owed. Besides, most he'll get is 100,000 Ryo." Jirayia chuckled as he took another sip of his coffee.

"You know you might want to consider going on a diet, Gohan. There is a food shortage going on in these parts. Asking for a Daimyo's feast at every restaurant is probably going to turn the wrong kind of heads." Jirayia stated.

"Pfft. They'll just have to get over it. Like anyone here could match him." Videl scoffed.

"No... I think he's got a point. I don't want to attract any negative attention.' Gohan replied.

"Hmmm, and here I had you pegged as the muscle. Looks like you could be the brains of your little duo as well." Jirayia commented. "That pretty much leaves the looks to you, Videl." Jirayia joked.

"You want another lump on the head? Because I can give you one." Videl smirked.

"Relax, Videl. I was just teasing. Although your quick temper might prove to be a hindrance to us for the job we have to do." Jirayia spoke as Oda returned with Videl's plate of food and Gohan's first serving.

"How so?" Gohan asked.

"Gohan and Videl, I'd like you to meet, Oda Nawa. Owner of Crane Wings Tavern and the mayor of Dump Town." Jirayia gestured to the tired looking old man. With a receding hairline, a bushy beard, and permanent scowl on his face.

"Unofficial Mayor, thank you." Oda grumbled as he started cleaning the countertops.

"Dump town?" Videl questioned. Is that what this place was called? Seriously?

"Yup, funny story." Jirayia chuckled. "A long time ago, some quack geologists thought that there was a massive gold mine just waiting to be dug up right near this spot in the middle of nowhere. So the Water Daimyo at the time, being the great and rational leader that he was, sent a small army of workers to set up a mining operation to start digging up the gold immediately. He was so convinced that he had this town preemptively built to house all the workers before the actual digging could even begin. A few years later, it became clear that the mine had little more than granite to offer and was all but abandoned by the government. The people who stayed behind still could make a decent living off the granite, but the Daimyo consider the town to be a lost cause, so he didn't even bother to tax them. Which meant that the only person left to collect any form of taxes was Oda here, which were actually just bar tabs that everyone had built up over the years. And thus he was declared mayor." Jirayia finished his story.

"Huh... That's interesting." Vide mused.

"That doesn't answer why they call it Dump town though." Gohan said, genuinely interested.

"It's because the Daimyo dumped everything down here when he left." Oda explained.

"Ah..." Gohan said.

"Sadly, granite was really the only valuable material here, aside from some strange metal." Oda said.

"May I see it?" Gohan asked.

"I ain't got it on me." Oda grumbled.

"Maybe later Gohan." Jirayia said. "I've sidetracked us enough. Right now we've got to talk about the pirate problem."

"Oy, kid!" The waitress called out as she threw him a strange rock, which Oda recognized as the same strange metal he had mentioned.

Gohan caught it and examined it with a keen eye. As a few moments passed, he recognized what it was.

"You, really don't know what this is?" Gohan asked.

"Let me guess? Some stupidly valuable and rare mineral that will completely turn this town around?" Oda asked sarcastically.

"This right here is a chunk of Platinum. Where we're from, it has more value than gold." Gohan said seriously.

"Platinum?" Jirayia asked as he took the metal out of Gohan's hand and examined it personally.

"He's right. Tell your boys to add it to the next traders meeting with Mist." Jirayia said as he passed the rock to Oda.

Oda sighed. "Yeah sure. Get more money from the granite..." Oda grumbled.

"I don't know about your "country," Gohan, but over here, Platinum is a lot more common, and a lot less valuable." Jirayia explained.

"Damn..." Gohan sighed in defeat.

"Nice of you thinking that you can swoop in and solve all our problems, but even if this was gold it still wouldn't help our town's real problems. An unstable government and the pirate raids." Oda stated.

"Which is why we are here. You said the pirates attack the port once a month?" Jirayia asked.

"Yes, and they are due here in a few days."

"Alright. Any info you can give us? Strength of their numbers? Location of their base? Any rogue ninjas they might have recruited?" Jirayia asked.

"I don't know of any missing-nin, but I do know they are going to show up with a fleet of at least 10 ships. Man count, I don't know."

"Class of ship?" Jiraiya asked.

"Man-O-War for the most part." Oda grumbled.

"Alright, so a preemptive strike probably wouldn't be the worst idea. Any idea where they hide their ships? Any private islands nearby? I'd even take an out of the way harbor."

"I don't know off hand..."

"You didn't overhear anything? Come on, work with me." Jirayia said.

"No luck. The pirates have learned from your other incursions. Their boys have been keeping quiet the last few weeks." Oda said.

"Looks like we're doing this the old fashioned way." Jirayia sighed as he finished his plate.

"Me and Naruto are gonna check out the nearby harbor for some intel. You two can just stay here if you like. Just don't mention that you're Ki users, from another world, or that you're traveling with two Leaf ninjas." Jirayia said as he stood up from his bar chair.

"Wait, what was that first and middle part?" Oda inquired. To which Jirayia placed a tiny sack of golden coins on the table. "Guess it was nothing." Oda mused.

"Get one for me and I can get the information you need." Videl said seriously.

"You've got some intel gathering experience?" Jirayia asked.

"I worked as a detective for a while. I have methods of extracting info."

"Do you know? Well this could go by faster then." Jirayia smirked as he called over to Naruto who was just finished with helping to clear out the drunks.

"I'm thinking we try splitting into teams." Jirayia suggested. "Videl with me and Naruto, you take Gohan."

"Works for me." Videl smirked.

"Just tell me what to do." Gohan said.

"You just follow Naruto's lead. Even when he suggests something stupid, go along with it. Meanwhile, Videl and I will handle the harbor." Jirayia said.

"Okay, me and Gohan can check out the nearby islands and swing around the beach. I'm guessing we need to find the pirate base, right?" Naruto guessed. He had been on this long ass mini mission for nearly two months now. He knew the drill by now.

"Sounds good. Report back, but don't engage the enemy." Jirayia ordered sternly before changing his mind. "Unless you can't help it. Like there is a cute damsel in distress and you both think that she'll let you both score if you save her. Only then do you have my blessing." Jirayia smirked.

"Score?" Gohan asked in confusion.

"Never you mind, Gohan." Videl sighed.

"You're still free and clear, Naruto." Jirayia winked at his pupil.

"Shut it, Pervy Sage." Naruto scoffed.

"An accurate name for him." Videl snickered.

"So, when do we leave?" Gohan asked.

"Right after you finish eating." Naruto said.

"Easily accomplished." Gohan said as he started devouring his food.

'This guy seriously has an appetite.' Naruto thought.

'Geez... I still can't seem to get used to this...' Videl thought.

'This kid is gonna make me broke before the month is out.' Jiraiya thought.

Gohan had to stop eating when he felt that all eyes were on him. He then figured it was because they had never really seen someone eat this much.

"I'm sorry..." Gohan apologized before putting down his fork. "This isn't fair to you, so I have an idea." Gohan then took out one of his senzu beans and ate it, filling him up instantly.

"What was that?" Videl asked.

"A senzu bean. It can heal any injury and it provides enough nutrients to sustain you for 10 days. It also restores your stamina and energy." Gohan explained.

"Wow... Some bean..." Jiraiya commented.

"It's helped me and my friends in many situations over the years."

"And now you use it as a diet pill?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I never really thought about doing that until now." Gohan said sheepishly.

"Really... You've been going to my school for months now and that thought JUST occurred to you?" Videl deadpanned.

"What do you want from me. It's never been an issue before." Gohan defended.

Videl just rolled her eyes. "Anyway... Are we good to go now?"

"Sure, let's go." Gohan said as he put down his knife and fork.

"Where are we going first?" Videl asked.

"Like I said, the town's harbor. It's how all these tiny islands stay connected. It's the best place to find out news on any ships or pirate activity." Jirayia reminded her.

"Oh, right." Videl nodded.

"We're off." Naruto called out from the front door as he and Gohan left to check out the beaches encircling the island.

"Alright, let's go I guess." Videl shrugged.

"Let's." Jirayia as they both left the bar and headed for the harbor.

"So, what did you two really do last night?" Jiraiya leered.

"Nothing sexual if that's what you're trying to get out of me." Videl said firmly.

"So what was "not sexual?"" Jirayia asked while making air quotations.

"All we did was sleep. We didn't make out, we didn't do anything obscene, that's it." Videl said simply.

"Is that right?"

"Yes, it is." Videl said firmly.

"That's not what I saw." Jiraiya smirked.

"W-what?! You looked in on us?!" Videl exclaimed as her face turned beet red.

"I was just checking on you guys to make sure you were okay." Jiraiya defended. "But you were sleeping on him, like you were holding onto him for dear life."

Videl's face was getting redder by the second from the fact that Jiraiya saw her sleeping on Gohan.

"S-so what...? W-we're just friends..." Videl stammered.

"I've seen friends sleep together. Close friends even. What you two were doing, was something more." Jirayia teased.

"L-look... I-it happened when I was asleep... I d-didn't do it on purpose..."

"And I also saw the two of you, mere centimeters away from making out last night at the camp fire."

Now Videl was at the highest amount of embarrassment she had ever been. Jiraiya had her right where he wanted her and there was no getting out of it.

"Alright! I'm crazy about him, okay?! Is that what you wanted?!" Videl exclaimed

"This isn't about what I want. It's about what you want and what you are going to do about it." Jirayia stated.

Videl now found herself between a rock and a hard place. She did like Gohan a lot, but her main concern was to get home. That took precedence over starting a relationship.

"I'm not going to do anything right now. My... Our main concern is getting home. Not turn this into a whirlwind fantasy love life."

Jirayia sighed. "Suit yourself. Just remember that eventually you have to live your life. Don't focus on just one goal of yours for too long. Take it from someone who knows." Jirayia said a bit sadly.

"Trust me. I know that all too well... But right now isn't the time or the place." Videl said softly. "I mean... Do I love him? I... I want to say I do. He has done so much for me in just a short time. He's even saved my life numerous times and he is even going to teach me how to fly... But... How did I get him to agree to that? I blackmailed him... I constantly hounded him about his life, trying to find out who he is and what he is... I honestly don't even know if he likes me like that... In reality, I don't deserve him..."

Jirayia threw back his head with laughter. So much that actual tears started falling down his face.

"What's so funny?!" Videl asked indignantly.

Jirayia composed himself. "You know. I'm probably on the wrong side of that kind of relationship to give you proper advice."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Videl scowled.

"It's just that I can't tell you how many times I've heard that same kind of relationship played out in my lifetime. I'm no different, except I would be the guy that gave too much to the girl that might not have deserved it."

"Oh..." Videl sighed sadly. "I'm just... I just don't know what to do... He's the only one who's really shown me any true kindness as far as guys go."

"So you're saying you should think you should go out with him because he is the only option available to you? Because you think you owe him?" Jirayia asked.

"I don't know..."

"Well let me tell you. If he does like you in the way you think he does, granting him a pity date isn't going to make him happy. If you do decide to date him, it'll be because you want to."

"And I do, more than just that..."

"So ask him out. Gohan strikes me as the socially incompetent type, he might not know exactly what he needs to do to take that first step. So you make it for him." Jiraiya advised.

"He is, big time." Videl chuckled. "But, I'll do just that, just not right now. Let us figure out what we're going to do first."

"Very wise. Now let's focus." Jirayia said as they reached the harbor.

By all accounts it was a small section of the town as was to be expected. Mostly it served as ports for the fishing boats, the primary source of food for the tiny village. Along with a few extra docks for the occasional shipment from the outside world or to transport the town's granite export. The area was dotted with small crowds of working men just standing around and chatting.

"What do you want? Stake out and overhear conversations? Or try the direct approach? We only get one slip up before the pirates get tipped off." Jirayia said.

"Oh boy... Where to start..." Videl mused as she looked at all of the people.

"I'm more of the subtle, long term method of intelligence gathering. You said you have experience with detective work, so I'm curious to learn about your methods." Jirayia admitted.

"My methods are pretty straight forward and more one on one. But for now, why don't we chat with some of these guys and slowly bring up the subject of the pirate?"

"How is that supposed to play out?" Jirayia asked.

"It can play out one of two ways. They'll either warm up to us with just some idle chitchat and they'll tell us what we want to know easily, signifying that they are willing to help us out. But if they are defensive and hostile about our questions, then normally what I would to is interrogate them. That's how I typically play things out. Bargaining sometimes works. But, that's only a few methods I have."

Then Videl leaned in close to whisper. "I actually have another method that hasn't failed me yet. I have these sugar pills that I will place in a cup of water if they ask for a drink. I make them think they are poisoned and offer them an antidote in exchange for information."

"Ok, solid strategy, except that out here in the open there is no reason for any of them to ask you for a drink. We don't even know if the people we talk to will know anything to begin with." Jirayia reminded her.

"True, but that's the point of asking them now isn't it?"

"Very true. Alright, we'll divide and conquer. I'll take the crowd on the right." Jirayia gestured over at the group of older fishermen. "And you take the crowd on the left." He pointed at the rougher looking group of men in their 30s and 40s. "Put on your womanly charm, just try not to scare them off. Get them bragging. It'll be your best option if you want them to spill the beans on being with the Red Eagles."

"Oh boy... Well, I'll try my best. Not really one for showing my feminine side."

"It's all about confidence. Believe your worth fighting over and they will fight over you. Trust me." Jirayia leered.

"Uh... well, if you say so... doesn't help I'm dressed like this..." Videl pointed out her oversized white shirt that covered all of her curves, hardly showing a thing to her womanly figure.

Jirayia looked at her up and down to conclude that yes, she wouldn't be getting cat called in that outfit.

"I always knew my talents would one day come in handy. Come with me." He said as he grabbed Videl's arm and grabbed her into the forest.

"Uh... What are you going to do?" Videl asked nervously.

"Nothing you would normally approve of. So bear with me and hold still." Jirayia said as he turned Videl around and grabbed the back of her shirt.

"W-what are you-"

"Trust me..." Jirayia pulled Videl's shirt back tight, revealing Videl's curves and hugging her chest. He then took the excess fabric and tied it in a quick knot so that the shirt stayed tight and exposed her belly. He then ruffled up her hair to add the finishing touches. Thankfully she was already wearing skin tight spandex shorts to show off her butt and thighs.

"Perfect." Jirayia spoke.

"...You're right... I don't approve of this..." Videl grumbled as she looked herself over.

"Oh come on. You look hot enough to be someone's cousin in these parts." Jirayia leered.

"That... doesn't make me feel any better..." Videl deadpanned. Then she sighed. "Oh well... If it will help this place out, then fuck it..."

"That's the kunoichi spirit. Now go strut your goods and talk only to the guy with the sleaziest pick up line." Jirayia said as he swatted her on the ass for good luck.

"Do that again and I'll rip your dick off..." Videl growled.

"That's it. That angry scowl. That's perfect." Jirayia said with a perverted grin and thumbs up.

'This is absolutely embarrassing... I hope Naruto and Gohan are doing better than me.' Videl thought.

---

A few miles away, Gohan was wondering the exact same thing about Videl and Jirayia.

Gohan and Naruto had been chosen to circle around the island, looking for any secret hideaways for the Red Eagles. Gohan thought it would be a simple fly around the island and then break for lunch, but Naruto had insisted on them traveling through the trees by foot. Which turned into Naruto leaping from tree branch to tree branch while Gohan flew behind him. Although it was definitely a slower method of travel than Gohan was used to, he couldn't help but be impressed by Naruto's ability to maneuver through the dense forest so quickly and gracefully. He even out maneuvered Gohan when it came to making tight turns. Even when Gohan could fly.

Then a thought occurred to Gohan as he mentally smacked his forehead from not remembering it sooner.

"Naruto! Stop for a sec!"

Naruto kicked back on a tree trunk and landed on a nearby tree branch.

"What?"

"Something I just realized I could do that would help us find these guys faster." Gohan said as he closed his eyes. He tuned his senses to search out any malevolent energies in the area so that they could find these bastards and end them.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked.

"Searching out the energy of those with evil hearts. This will be a much faster way of finding those pirates." Gohan replied.

"Wait, you can do that?"

"Yes I can, but you're making it hard to focus."

"Sorry." Naruto said before shutting up. He let Gohan meditate in peace as he extended his senses outwards. First feeling the presence of the villagers and then the villagers working the mines. He found nothing. Then he extended his reach out even further into what he thought were fishing boats. Still nothing.

"I don't understand. I can't sense anything malevolent." Gohan stated.

Naruto sighed. "Typical. They must not be thinking any evil thoughts for you to pick up."

"Damn it, looks like we'll have to keep searching by foot." Gohan sighed.

"Oh don't look so down. It was a good plan. Besides, this would be boring if we found them so quickly." Naruto said trying to cheer Gohan up.

"I wish we had found them quicker so that we could end this." Gohan sighed.

Naruto dropped his leadership persona and sighed. "Me too. I would have loved it if we could find these damn pirates quickly and just take care of them. Pervy Sage promised me that as soon as we completed this mission we would head back to the Leaf." Naruto said, the last part had his voice sound airier. Like he was fondly remembering something.

"What is the Leaf like anyway?" Gohan asked with curiosity.

"The Leaf village? Well its... it's home. I've got no other word for it." Naruto smiled as he thought more about the people than the actual place.

"But I guess if you were asking what the actual village looked like. It's a ninja village. So it's bigger than the village were staying at by a lot. With colorful buildings crammed together. None of them too tall. You'll see ninjas of all ages leaping along on top of the rooftops while below in the streets you'll see civilians and relaxed ninjas just walking around, shopping or meeting up with friends. Kids playing ninja and newly recruited genin chasing around a cat or two." Naruto smiled brightly at the memory of his village.

"Wow... That sounds amazing." Gohan said with intrigue.

"It is." Naruto agreed. "It's all surrounded by this massive red wall that protects us and this mountain where the faces of all our pervious and current Hokage are carved into the cliff side, so that they can always watch over the village. And one day, my face is gonna be up there too."

"Hokage?"

That got Naruto's attention. "Yeah, the Hokage. The top dog of my home village. The strongest, wisest, bravest, and most respected ninja in all of Konoha. Who leads his fellow shinobi and watches over all the other citizens of the Leaf village and of Fire Country. It's been my dream to be Hokage for as long as I can remember." Naruto said fondly.

"Geez... I don't think I could ever do something like that." Gohan stated.

"Well it's not for everyone. Even still, you strike me as the heroic type." Naruto stated.

"That happens when you save your own world from a bio-engineered android." Gohan shrugged.

"Bio-what now?"

"Bio-engineered Android. He was a creature named Cell and he was created by a mad scientist called Dr. Gero. He made Cell by combining the cells of Earth's greatest fighters as well as one of my previous enemies named Freeza. He... He killed my father... He would have destroyed our world and all of us, but I was able to stop him."

"Shit...that's something else. I mean I've fought off a few giant monsters in my time to save my village. But nothing on the save-the-world scale like you." Naruto admitted.

"That wasn't the last time either... There was a space pirate named Bojack that showed up less than a month later to destroy our world along with his henchmen. I almost died during that fight, but in the end, I stopped them."

"Hmmm, seems like you have plenty of adventures under your belt. Me too." Naruto smiled, grateful that he had found common ground with the saiyan.

"Oh believe me. If I told you all about them, your head would spin." Gohan smiled.

"Can't say that I've got a more colorful roster of bad guys. Mostly just this creepy snake dude and this black robed organization bent on world conquest." Naruto said as they continued their search of the coastline.

"Sound to me like you are living a similar life to my dad." Gohan commented.

"Was he a hero like you?" Naruto inquired.

"He was more of a hero than I was. He single-handedly took down a tyrannical army called Red Ribbon Army when he was younger than you. He saved the world from a demon named King Piccolo, twice, he died protecting me and the world against my Saiyan uncle, Raditz, he saved the world again against two other Saiyan's, he stopped an interstellar tyrant, Freeza and he stopped the Legendary Super Saiyan that was threatening our galaxy."

"Wow. I wish I had a father like that." Naruto said in awe without thinking.

"What does your father do?" Gohan asked.

"I don't know. I never knew my father." Naruto admitted as casual as he would admit to grabbing a soda from the fridge.

"Didn't your mom tell you anything about him?"

"I never knew her either." Naruto said with a bit of sadness bleeding through.

"Wait... You mean... You're an orphan?" Gohan asked.

"Yup. Still am, I'm pretty sure." Naruto said as he leapt down off the trees and put his hands behind his head.

Gohan had to stop midflight and flew down to join Naruto.

"I'm so sorry to hear that..." Gohan said sadly as he landed next to Naruto.

"It's fine. I never knew them so I couldn't get hurt by them." Naruto said sadly.

"Still. It couldn't have been easy to live with. No one ever adopted you?"

Naruto thought back to the years of name calling, neglect, and beatings from scared citizens of the Leaf.

"No. No one ever did."

Gohan felt his heart break. "That's horrible to hear... I'm really sorry about that..."

"It's okay. It wasn't all bad. I still had the 3rd Hokage to take care of me. And later on I had Iruka-sensei. He was my academy instructor and even though he could be really harsh and loud, he always believed in me. He even took me to Ichiraku's for ramen once a week." Naruto smiled one of the brightest smiles Gohan had ever seen. "He's awesome."

"Well, I'm glad your life had a silver lining to it." Gohan smiled.

"Oh definitely. The trick was that I worked hard for it. I still do..."

"Well, keep working at it. I'm sure you'll reach your goals in the future." Gohan assured.

"And what about you? What are your goals for the future?" Naruto asked.

"I guess...for now... Get home. From there, I don't know."

"Well you must have a dream you want to fulfill."

"I do... For my world to always be at peace."

Naruto smiled. "Now there is a dream I can get behind."

"And... To start a family. Find a nice girl, settle down, relax... But, that's not for a long time to come." Gohan said.

"Same here." Naruto smiled as he imagined himself with the Hokage's hat standing arm in arm with a certain pink hair woman while their two kids played in the backyard.

"Hey what's that?" Gohan snapped Naruto out of his daydream by pointing out the barely visible part of a wall hidden behind the thicket of trees.

Sensing that this was it, Naruto leapt up to the highest tree branch. He was quickly followed by Gohan. The two of them looked down on the building from a higher vantage point and saw that it was a concealed harbor.

"Good eye, Gohan." Naruto whispered to the half saiyan.

"I'll send a message to Videl and Jiraiya." Gohan whispered, before opening a mental link. 'Videl? How's everything going over there?'

'Uhhh... Fine...' Videl thought nervously.

'What's fine? Are you alright? You sound nervous.' Gohan pointed out.

'I'm kinda doing something waaay out of my comfort zone right now... Something I'm going to hate myself for doing...'

---

On Videl's end, things were getting a bit frisky.

"Hey come on, baby. Don't be like that." One of the sailors leered. Videl's seduction strategy had worked a little too well and she found herself surrounded by a gang of horny sailors.

"As I said... You can look, but you can't touch..." Videl said seductively as he moved her hips a little.

"Aw come on. Would 200 Ryo loosen those hinges?" One sailor said, flashing a small wad of bills at Videl. Thankfully one of his buddies slapped the man before Videl could.

"Ignore him. He thinks he's still in Fire Country where the girls are cheaper. I can tell a classy girl like you deserves greater incentive." The man then pulled out 500 Ryo.

"Actually... All I need is information..." Videl leered.

"What chu wanna know, sweet cheeks?" A third sailor said to Videl's breasts. "I got all the info you could possibly take." Videl shuttered.

"Promise me that you'll tell me what I want to know and... You can do anything you want..." Videl winked.

The man looked like he was about to get the easiest lay of his life when he was shoved aside by one of the scrawnier sailors. "I KNOW MORE THAN HE DOES!"

"Easy now, boys... You'll all get your turn..."

While the boys were all fighting over Videl like a piece of meat. Jirayia was hanging back to enjoy the show and to chat with the older fishermen, free from being overheard by the younger sailors.

"So Red Eagle has been amassing his forces for a massive coup?" Jirayia asked one of the fishermen.

"Yes, word is that the leader of the Red Eagles, a scoundrel going by the name Blood Beard, wants to get in on the Mist village civil war. His plan is to lure the winning side of the civil war into the archipelago and attack them with his massive fleet of 100 ships!" The fisherman exclaimed. "Then he'll declare his pirates to be the new military of Water Country. He calls it the Age of Pirates."

"Well, luckily for you fine people, my team has a secret weapon." Jiraiya smirked.

"That's just it. He already knows about you, Lord Jirayia. He claims that his cannons will be more than enough to deal with any ninja the world throws at him."

"Then it's a good thing my secret weapon isn't a ninja, but something far stronger."

Back with Videl, she was just wrapping up beating down all of the guys who tried to touch her after getting the info she needed.

"Well, that was fun and all. But there is no way I'm going to give myself up to the first guy I see." Videl smirked as she untied the knot in her shirt, letting it fall back into its previous state.

Jirayia chuckled. God he loved it when they were feisty. If she was older, not interested in Gohan, and he wasn't holding out for that beast of a Lady Hokage; he'd be all over her.

"Thank you gentlemen, it's been a pleasure." Jirayia said as he stood up to join his female companion.

"Be safe out there, Lord Jirayia. May the spirits be with you!" Jirayia gave them a friendly wave goodbye.

Videl smoothed out her shirt to get rid of the wrinkles in it as Jiraiya met up with her. "Make me do something like that again and I'll turn your legs into a pretzel." Videl warned.

"Glad to see your time spent on the hard streets hasn't changed you." Jirayia joked. "Now did you learn anything about Red Eagle, Blood Beard, or a fleet of 100 ships?" Jirayia asked, wanting to confirm his own intel.

"Everything. Gohan contacted me mentally and they found their base of operations." Videl confirmed.

"They probably found one of them. A fleet of 100 ships wouldn't be able to hide on an island this size. They would need several ports, but good job in finding one of them." Jiraiya speculated.

"So, what's next?"

"Good question. We meet up with Naruto and Gohan. Scope out the harbor. And go from there."

"Sounds good." Videl nodded.

That's when she was contacted again by Gohan. 'Videl, what's the plan?'

'We're going to meet up with you to scout out the pirate base. What is your location?'

'Southwest corner of the island. It took Naruto a half an hour to run down here, so maybe you can fly Jirayia over here quicker. Just focus on my energy signature like I taught you.'

'I can't fly, remember?' Videl deadpanned. 'You haven't taught me that yet.'

'What? I could of sworn I... No wait, no I didn't...' Gohan deadpanned.

'Whatever. We'll join you guys as soon as we can. Jirayia says that you two can start without us.' Videl thought.

'Sounds like a plan. See you later.'

---

"What's the word?" Naruto whispered to Gohan from atop their tree branch.

"We can start scoping out the area without them. They'll meet up with us later." Gohan whispered back.

"Sounds good. Not to be mean, but do you have any experience with stealth?" Naruto asked as he mentally mapped out their location.

"A little. I can mask my energy so they don't sense me coming, if they're capable of that."

"Okay. In that case, just keep a look out from here. It'll help Pervy Sage and Videl find us faster. Meanwhile, I'll sneak around their flank and see what intel I can pick up. If I get captured, just wait for Pervy Sage." Naruto said as he double checked that his ninja equipment was all tightened down so that it wouldn't make any rattling noises.

"Alright. Send me a signal if you need help."

"I'll shout for you." Naruto reassured as he disappeared into the tree leaves before Gohan's very eyes.

"Nice trick..." Gohan said to himself.

---

Naruto meanwhile was doing what he did best, sneaking into heavily guarded areas completely undetected. In an instant, he was a kid again. Evading perusing raging chunin, jounin, and even ANBU patrols after pulling off his latest prank. Oh the fun times he had raising Hell against the bastard Konoha citizens who looked down on him. The shop keepers who wouldn't sell to him. The parents that kept their children from playing with him. And the Shinobi that spat on him. He made them all pay.

Naruto stopped for a second when he heard two guards coming his way. He was on the ground, right outside the harbor garage, with two pirates coming towards him. Keeping calm, the orange shinobi kept prone and steadied his breathing. This was just like waiting for those two shinobi to pass each other on the street during that early morning before Naruto painted the Hokage faces, the same morning he was to take his final exam.

As expected. The pirate thugs walked by him without so much as a pause. Giving Naruto the opportunity to run over to the back door. Which didn't even have a lock for Naruto to pick.

'Too easy.' Naruto smirked. He snuck inside, quiet as a ghost, and found himself inside exactly what it appeared to be on the outside. A ship garage.

'Way too easy.'

Naruto made his way over to a nearby desk, littered with charts, and began to read over them. Unknown to him though, a shadowy figure was standing over him with a mallet in hand.

---

Gohan meanwhile was starting to become bored shitless after sitting alone in the tree for half an hour. He almost wished that he had gone with Naruto. Even if he had screwed it up at least something would have happened by now.

Gohan was one more bird chirp away from leaping down there when he felt two familiar energy signatures coming from behind him.

"About time they caught up." Gohan said to himself as he saw Videl and Jiraiya run up to his location.

"Yo Gohan, what's the situation?" Jirayia asked as he sat down next to Gohan on the tree branch.

"Naruto has gone to scope out the area and told me to wait here. I'm not really good with stealth." Gohan explained.

"A little help here?!" Videl exclaimed as she tried to climb the tree. Gohan effortlessly lifted Videl up to the tree.

"Thanks... So what's going on?"

"Well I haven't heard from Naruto in half an hour. Not since he went down into the harbor to investigate. The harbor has been quiet too. Is that normal?"

"With Naruto, nothing is normal." Jiraiya chuckled.

Right on cue, the group witnessed Naruto step out into the open of the harbor. "HEY GUYS, YOU CAN COME DOWN NOW!" He called out to them.

"Guess that's our cue." Gohan said as he suddenly scooped Videl up into his arms, causing her to yelp suddenly.

"Don't... Fly too fast, okay?" Videl asked. She was having a hard time keeping her composure with the butterflies in her gut.

"Sure thing." Gohan smiled before jumping into the air and flying down to the base to meet Naruto.

They found him standing next to four strong looking pirates all tied up and thrown into a pile. "Hey guy, how's it hanging?" Naruto asked nonchalantly.

Gohan touched down to the ground with Videl still in his arms. "I was going to ask you that." Gohan said.

"Yeah, sorry I didn't call you earlier. One of these guys attacked me, which alerted all the other guys, then the last guy tried to run away after I beat all his friends." Naruto said sheepishly.

"That was sloppy, brat. What did I train you for?" Jirayia stated.

"I dunno. Given the circumstances, I think he did pretty good." Gohan said simply.

"For thugs? Even if they were all chunin ninjas it shouldn't have taken him more than fifteen minutes to subdue or kill them. Let alone a half an hour." Jirayia scoffed.

"If you say so. I'm not a ninja so I have no idea what you're talking about." Gohan said simply.

"So what have you learned?" Jirayia asked Naruto.

"Not much. These guys are just a skeleton crew for the harbor. Which is mostly just used to repair the ships, not hide them. Apparently a week ago, the rest of the crew was taken out to sea by their captain to prepare for some massive operation. If these guys know where, I couldn't get it out of them." Naruto reported.

"Umm... I can stand, you know..." Videl blushed. She was still being held by Gohan. While she loved every second of it, this wasn't the time.

Gohan raised an eyebrow at Videl, then remembered the talk they had this morning. "Uh... Sorry." Gohan said sheepishly as he carefully set her down.

"It's okay. Just pay attention, okay?" Videl smiled.

"Oy, lovebirds. Flirt on your own time." Jirayia ordered.

"Hush you." Videl grumbled.

"F-f-flirt?!" Gohan blushed hard.

Jirayia just shook his head at the couple's antics.

"I-it's not like that! We're just friends!" Gohan defended, not realizing he had hurt Videl with that comment.

'Yea... Just friends...' Videl thought sadly.

"If you say so." Jiraiya shrugged.

"So let's compare notes." Jirayia stated. "We know that Blood Beard, the leader of the Red Eagles is secretly planning to try and take over during the 11th hour of this civil war. He has amassed a Navy of 100 ships to do it."

"Also, according to what we have learned, they plan to launch their fleet in two days." Videl added.

"Their entire fleet?" Naruto asked.

"I believe so." Videl said.

"So we need to find their entire fleet and take them out before they make land fall." Gohan deduced.

"Normally I would agree with you, Gohan. But we have no way of knowing where the fleet is. There numbers are so vast that they couldn't all be docked at a single port. And we would be at a disadvantage if we tried to fight them on water." Jirayia informed Gohan.

"Maybe for you ninjas, but for Gohan, it's a cinch." Videl said.

Jiraiya's eyes went wide as he remembered. "That's right. You're a Ki user, and you can fly."

"I can do far more than that, but you're right." Gohan confirmed.

"You're Ki blasts should allow you to take out the pirate ships while staying out of range of their cannons. It's perfect."

"Not that it would hurt him anyway." Videl started. "He caught bullets with his hands and crushed them into dust against the Red Shark Gang."

"Oh that's right. Forgot about them." Gohan confirmed.

"That barely happened a month ago and you forgot already?"

"It's not like I keep track of all the thugs I defeat. Do you keep a record of every bug you squash, Videl?" Gohan asked.

"Um..." Videl said sheepishly.

"That's what I thought." Gohan said, not realizing how terrifying he sounded right now.

"W-why are you talking to me like that...?" Videl asked with fear.

"Like what?" Gohan asked in confusion.

"You were starting to sound like some stuck up thug." Naruto stated.

"I did?"

"Yes you did... What's going on with you, Gohan? Ever since we came here, you haven't been acting like yourself." Videl asked with concern.

"I... I don't know... I guess I'm frustrated is all..." Gohan sighed.

"I understand... But, you can't take it out on everyone else..." Videl said softly as she rubbed his arm.

"Why not? I'm the most powerful one here, and yet so far I've been completely useless." Gohan said bitterly.

"Gohan... This isn't you. You wouldn't take it out on the innocent... What's really bugging you? You can tell me."

"Nothing...nothing else is bugging me." Gohan stated.

"Okay..." Videl sighed. She knew there was something else bugging him, but if he didn't want to talk about it, she wasn't going to press the matter. "If there is anything you want to get off your chest, you can tell me."

"...I'll tell you later..." Gohan sighed, hoping to end this conversation.

"Okay." Videl said softly.

That's when they both heard chuckling. A low, nasty kind of chuckling that soon turned into a howl of laughter. The Earthlings and the Shinobi all turned to see one of the tied up pirates laughing his ass off.

"And what is so funny?" Videl growled.

"You. You're funny! All you ninjas are so damn funny! Thinking that you'll be able to stop Blood Beard! But this is the Age of the Pirates! Your time is over, Mist Ninja!" The pirate spat.

"Does this guy seriously think that we're Mist Ninja?" Naruto asked while wearing his Leaf ninja headband like he always did. Naruto double checked to make sure that someone hadn't switched his headband out for Mist ninja's.

"Fools! Blood Beard will be coming in 2 days to wipe you all out! And then he'll sail towards the Hidden Mist Village and raze it to the ground!" The pirate cackled. "Your days of looking down on us pirates are over!"

"Oh shut up!" Videl snapped. "I'm not a ninja and Neither is Gohan. He's more than a match for your band of pickpockets."

"Pickpockets?! We're sea born conquers! Sons of the sea! The true heirs to the Land of Water. Not you, disruptive ninjas!"

"Oh save it for someone who cares." Videl scoffed.

"That reminds me." Jirayia said as he bit his thumb before flashing through some hand signs. "Summoning Jutsu!"

A puff of smoke cleared and in its place was a toad the size of a puppy wearing googles. "Yo, Jirayia!" The toad greeted.

"What can this one do?" Gohan asked with curiosity.

"I can tell you to shut your trap. That's what I can do." The toad replied rudely.

"I'm just curious is all... I'm new to all of this." Gohan defended.

"Gamakabo, behave." Jirayia scolded. "Sorry about that. Gamakabo is a messenger frog. I call upon him when I want to send messages quickly and secretly to anyone in the world."

"Ooohh. That's really cool!" Gohan said enthusiastically.

"Damn right I am." Gamakabo smirked as he puffed out his chest.

"Right. So, Gamakabo, I need you to deliver a message to Mei Terumi, the leader of the Mist rebels." Jirayia spoke.

"Yea alright. What's the message?" Gamakabo grumbled.

"Tell Mei that the Red Eagles have a fleet of 100 ships and they should prepare for an invasion. They mean to get into this civil war."

"Pirates?! Like they have a chance in hell." Gamakabo laughed.

"Maybe not. But I rather wouldn't give them the element of surprise. Not when Mei and her followers are the closest anyone has come to ending the civil war in Mist in over a decade." Jirayia stated grimly.

"Fair enough. Alright, I'll deliver your message. Later." The toad disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Now that that's settled, we just need to figure out what to do with our 4 captives." Jirayia stated as he looked over at the tied up pirates.

"Jailer toad?" Naruto suggested.

"Oh, before you do that..." Videl said as the wheels in her head started turning. She faced the pirates with a smug smirk on her face. "So, you really doubt Gohan's abilities?"

"Videl, what are you doing?" Gohan asked nervously.

"Proving a point." Videl said as she looked around the area and spotted a small, uninhabited island just outside of the harbor. "Blow up that island over there. Don't go too crazy, just enough to prove a point."

At that, the pirates all laughed. "Give it up! There's no way that puny brat could do anything to have him or you." one of the pirates sneered.

"You won't touch her." Gohan growled protectively.

"I'm not going to blow up an island, Videl. What if there were animals on it?" Gohan pointed out.

"It's a lifeless island with no significant importance to anyone. It used to be lively, but any life it once had was lost due to a fire." Jiraiya informed.

"Still, to just needlessly destroy it goes against my father's teachings."

"Just do it... It's just one island." Videl sighed.

"Quit showing off, bitch. there's no way your boyfriend is that strong." One of the pirates scoffed.

"I can't say I approve of showing off to a bunch of nameless lackeys, but just do it." Jirayia sighed.

"Oh alright..." Gohan sighed. He jumped up into the air where he floated, making sure the pirates were watching. He cupped his hands to his sides and a blue light started forming.

"Kaa... Meee... Haaa... Meee..." a blue orb formed in the palms of his hands and glowed brightly. He shot his hands forward towards the island, unleashing his charged energy. "HAAAA!" A fairly large beam shot out from him and towards the island. Once it hit, a massive dome of energy erupted from where the island once stood, creating a nearly blinding light as Gohan's attack completely destroyed the island, reducing it to nothing but dust. The ocean swallowed up the area where the island once was, making look as if there never was one.

"Holy shit..." Videl gasped out. In reality, she had never seen Gohan do that before.

Jirayia raised an eyebrow. He had only seen such a destructive force when he had faced off against that Tailed Beast all those years ago. Truly this boy was a force to be reckoned with.

"WOAH!" Naruto exclaimed. "That is freaking amazing!"

"HA! As if we didn't already know what genjutsu is!" The laughing pirate stated.

Gohan landed in front of the pirates. "I don't know what a genjutsu is, nor do I know how to use one. What you just saw, was the real deal and I was only using a small fraction of my power."

"Yeah right. What, do you think we were born yesterday?!" The pirate flatly denied.

"Judging by your ignorance of Ki usage, I'd say yes." Gohan said simply.

"The hell is a Ki user? Some kind of sex jelly?" The pirate spat, trying to get under Gohan's nerves.

"Ki is the energy our ancestors used centuries ago before Chakra was invented." Jiraiya informed. "Ki is the raw form of chakra before it is properly molded to create jutsus. These two do not belong to any ninja village, nor are they ninja's themselves. The title of Shinobi is reserved to myself and Naruto here."

"Huh?" His speech was lost in the ignorant pirates.

"Hey guys, take it from a fellow dunce. These guys don't know what you're talking about, and they don't care." Naruto stated.

"Well, then their ignorance will be their end, now wont it?" Videl said.

"I thought I took them down." Naruto pointed out.

"I meant the other pirates." Videl clarified.

"Oh..."

Jirayia ignored them both and summon his next giant toad. This time a massive plume of smoke formed and out came a blue toad the size of a house.

"Gamatetsu, how you doing?" Jirayia asked enthusiastically.

"Just retched..." Gamatetsu sighed. Jirayia sweat dropped when he saw that Gamatetsu was still his depressed self.

"How come?" Gohan asked.

"Life is just dreadful, isn't it? It's all so pointless..."

"Life is what you make of it. Life will throw you a curve ball, but it's up to you to hit that ball. If you strike out, just try again." Gohan said.

"Easy for you to say. I'm so fat that I can't even swing a baseball bat." Gamatetsu sighed.

"It's an expression. It means, don't give up on life, no matter how bad things seem." Gohan simplified.

'That's saying a lot coming from you...' Videl thought in wonder.

"(Sigh) I'll try..." Gamatetsu groaned, as if the idea of putting in any effort filled him with grief. "Why have you called me here, Jirayia? No doubt you have prisoners for me to hold."

"These pirates that Naruto tied up. Have at them." Jiraiya stated.

Gamatetsu sighed as he unraveled his enormous tongue and grabbed all four of the thugs with one swipe.

"Wait, what, NOOOOOO!" The laughing pirate cried out as the rest of his fellows just cried. In a snap they were swallowed whole by Gamatetsu who smack his chops. "Disgusting. They taste like they haven't bathed in a week."

"Ewwww... That's gross..." Videl protested.

"Try having to keep them inside your stomach for god knows how long." Gamatetsu sighed.

"Just take them to the Leaf village. Give Princess Tsunade my compliments." Jirayia instructed.

"Are you still on about her? Why won't you just give it up?" Gamatetsu sighed.

Videl gagged. "O-oh god... Don't make me imagine that..."

"Just go." Jirayia groaned. Great, now Gamatetsu had put him in a bad mood.

"Very well." Gamatetsu sighed before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

---

With that, the team quietly returned to the bar to rest after an exhausting morning of investigating.

"Well, at least we have a general idea of how things are going to play out." Videl mused.

"Yup. All we can do is prepare for their attack in two days. That means setting traps and points of defense for me and Naruto." Jirayia stated.

"And I can rain down hell on their ships." Gohan chimed in.

"And... I guess I'll sit and do nothing..." Videl sighed sadly.

"We can find something for you to do." Naruto paused in thought. What exactly could Videl do...

Naruto snapped his fingers. "Do you like explosives?"

"I try to avoid them."

"Well with a little practice, we could have you lobbing explosive kunai at the enemies should any of them sneak past us and land on the mainland." Naruto said.

"Kunai? I've practiced with some of those in the past." Videl said simply.

"Perfect. We'll brush you up on your throwing arm, then Pervy Sage can teach you how to make your own explosive tags." Naruto said.

"I may be a little rusty." Videl admitted when she spotted a dart board. "Toss me a kunai. I'm going to see if I can hit that dart board."

Naruto threw her one of his kunai, which Videl caught effortlessly. Videl then threw the knife at the dart board, which was some distance away from her and she got a perfect bulls eye. "Huh... Not as rusty as I thought."

"Not bad. But I'd expect an Academy student to be able to pull off that shot. We'll need you to be able to hit moving targets at least twice that distance before we let you act as our last line of defense." Jirayia stated.

"I don't use them in actual combat so..."

"You're going to." Jirayia stated, before turning to his appreciate. "Naruto, you've got today and tomorrow to get Videl up to genin standard."

That threw Naruto for a loop. "Me?"

"Yes you. Me and Gohan are going to be setting up the defenses out in the port. These pirates plan on sacking this entire town just to get to us and I don't plan on giving them an inch." Jirayia said firmly. The thought of protecting innocent lives steeled Naruto's resolve.

"Right."

"Count me in." Gohan said firmly.

"Hey, what's all this about defenses?" Oda called from behind his bar.

"The pirates aren't coming in a 10 ship raiding party. They are coming in a 100 fleet invasion. If I were you I'd get the people organized to leave by tomorrow afternoon at the latest." Jirayia stated.

"Shit, I'll get right on that. FUU! GET THE SPEARS READY!" Oda called out. Gohan and the rest then heard crashes coming from the back room.

"Alright. We've got a game plan. Any questions?" Jirayia asked his group.

"None that I can think of." Videl said.

"None from me." Gohan said as well.

"I'm good." Naruto chimed in.

"Good. Let's get to work. Gohan, follow me." Jirayia said as he made his way out the door.

"Right," Gohan said as he followed the older man.

"Come on Videl, we've got training to do." Naruto said as he too led her out the door.

"Right." Videl said as she followed close.

---

The next twelve hours were some of the most grueling hour either Videl or Gohan had ever spent. Videl was given a crash course on shinobi weapons combat from Naruto. Consisting of her defending and attacking enemies with kunai from close quarters and long range. While Gohan was assisting Jirayia in creating a hasty sea barricade. Under Jiraiya's guidance, Gohan was using his Ki enhanced strength to construct massive pikes out of logs to stop the incoming pirate ships from ever reaching the port. Even for Gohan, it was back breaking work.

Needless to say, by the end of the day the two Earthlings were exhausted. They stumbled into the bar for a quick meal from Oda (who was now wearing some kind of samurai helmet and carrying around a massive curved spear) and went straight to bed. Leaving Naruto and Jirayia downstairs to enjoy their own meal.

"Ugh... My back..." Gohan moaned as he trudged up the stairs.

"Your back? My everything..." Videl groaned.

The two of them were practically carrying each other up the stairs. Neither one of them even blushed at their close contact with one another.

"I need a shower..." Videl groaned in pain. "But I can't even stand..."

"We could always just share a bath and then collapse into bed." Gohan suggested, thinking of when he was exhausted from training with his little brother rather than the current situation that he was in.

"Ugh... Normally I would say no but that this point, I couldn't care less..."

"Say no to what?" Gohan asked before it dawned on him.

"OH GEEZ, I'M SORRY VIDEL, I WASN'T- Oof!" Gohan cried as he walked right into some figure even taller than he was.

"Sorry... We've been going through a rough day..." Videl apologized to the men before her.

"Oh no, it's alright. I wasn't looking where I was going either." The taller man replied. Videl and Gohan looked up to see that the man was in fact blue skinned. With sharp cheekbones and three scars cut across his cheeks like they were gills. He even displayed shark like teeth when he gave them both a friendly smile.

"I don't think I've seen you around... You one of the guests here...?" Videl asked.

"We just arrived this afternoon. Just passing through. This seemed like a good place to stop for the night." The shorter man spoke pleasantly. Videl shifted her attention over to him and just had to blush. He was an attractive man, no doubt about that. His eyes were narrow and calculating, let seem to convey a kind of gentleness that you would see in an older brother. The man had a young face, that was juxtaposed by his two deep lines across his cheeks. Giving him a weary look. Like he had seen too much at a young age. All in all, Videl felt like she could trust this man.

"Ah... Well, sorry to bump into you like that... We're just turning in from a long day..."

"I can imagine. The whole town seems to be bustling with activity. Is something going on?" The shorter man asked.

"There's a pirate invasion coming in two days. You best get out of here while you can." Gohan informed.

The two shifted around uneasily in their matching black cloaks with red clouds.

"I see, well we'll definitely keep that in mind. We're only staying for the one night anyway." The taller shark man responded.

"Alright... Now, if you'll excuse us... we're going to wash up and go to bed..." Videl yawned.

"Have a good night." The shorter man said politely.

"Thank you..." Gohan yawned.

They both walked past the two men, but the shorter one stopped Gohan for a second.

"Do you happen to know anything about a really strong energy in this area?" He asked.

"Energy...?" Videl mused, then it dawned on her. "Oh, that was probably Gohan the other night..." Videl said without even thinking.

"Gohan?" The man asked.

"That's me..." Gohan yawned.

"Really? That was you? Impossible. No one has that much chakra." The taller man stated. Something Itachi found ironic.

"I don't use chakra. I use Ki." Gohan said simply.

"Well now... There's an energy I haven't heard of in a while..." The taller man said in shock.

"You know of this, Kisame?" The shorter man asked.

"I'll tell you about it later. Short version is, its stronger than chakra and more difficult to control." The man now known as Kisame said.

"Unless you've spent years training to use it like I have." Gohan said.

"Is that right? I don't suppose you would be willing to give us a demonstration." The shorter man asked.

"Maybe in the morning... I'm really tired."

"Of course. We look forward to it." The shorter man smiled.

"Sure..." Gohan said before he looked up at the shorter man's headband. "That head band looks familiar..." Gohan mused.

That was when Videl noticed it. "Yea, it looks like Naruto's." Videl commented.

The shorter man did not react this, instead his partner's eyes widened for an instant without Videl or Gohan noticing.

Gohan looked closely at the shorter man's headband. Just like Naruto's, it had a spiral design in the shape of a leaf. Only this man's headband had a deep slash along the middle of the symbol.

"Are you a Leaf ninja like Naruto is?" Gohan asked.

Without skipping a beat, Itachi responded. "In a way. I'm more of former member of the Leaf forces. Now I'm a part of an international peacekeeping force, along with my partner, Kisame." Itachi said.

Gohan looked over and saw that Kisame also had a slash through his headband, although this one had a different design in the center of it.

"That's cool. I don't suppose you could help us out with this pirate invasion?" Videl asked.

"Unfortunately no. We have another mission we need to complete. It's top secret. So we would appreciate it if you didn't report our movements." Itachi replied in a way that both Gohan and Videl couldn't help but want to comply with.

"Okay. Well... See you in the morning I guess." Gohan yawned as he bid Kisame and Itachi a good night while he and Videl went into their room and closed the door.

"So... Are you joining me or no? I don't care either way..." Videl yawned.

At first, Gohan didn't respond. He was too caught up in his thoughts. 'A global peacekeeping force. Now there's an interesting idea.'

"Gohan..." Videl called again.

"Huh, what?"

"I asked if you were going to join me or not... I don't care either way..." Videl repeated.

"Oh, I um... I'll let you go first. Give you your privacy and all." Gohan smiled nervously.

"Suit yourself..." Videl shrugged as she made her way into the shower.

"Most guys would jump at the chance to shower with a girl... I'm proud of you, Gohan... You're a true gentleman." Videl said from the bathroom.

Gohan smiled. He felt so relieved. For a second there he thought that he had made a really stupid decision.